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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. mine — for digging
  3. clip — for paper
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bulb — for light
  9. object — an aim
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bear — the animal
  15. clip — a video
  16. ground — the earth
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. object — a thing
  23. ground — a position
  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