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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bound — tied together
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bulb — for light
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — from a university
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bound — obliged
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. chip — to eat
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bound — certain
  19. clip — a video
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bulb — for light

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com