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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 120 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. suit — in cards
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bulb — for light
  19. clip — a video
  20. bulb — for light
  21. suit — clothes
  22. suit — to fit
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bulb — of a plant

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