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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bulb — for light
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. staff — employees
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rock — a stone
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. clip — to cut
  13. row — a line
  14. row — to paddle
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. staff — a stick
  19. fork — in a road
  20. rock — music
  21. staff — employees
  22. clip — a video
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. mark — a grade

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