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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bulb — for light
  5. clip — a video
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fall — to drop
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. object — a thing
  10. fall — to drop
  11. clip — to cut
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. swing — to play on
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. swing — in golf
  17. object — an aim
  18. swing — music
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. fall — the season
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. object — to protest
  24. clip — for paper

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