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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. mug — a face
  7. ground — a position
  8. mug — to rob
  9. stem — to come from
  10. ground — crushed
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. ball — a great time
  14. swing — music
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bulb — for light
  17. clip — for paper
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. clip — a video
  22. ball — a dance
  23. mug — a cup
  24. swing — in golf

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