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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  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 — to cut
  2. chest — a box
  3. bulb — for light
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. current — happening now
  6. stem — to come from
  7. saw — the tool
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. saw — the tool
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. clip — for paper
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bulb — for light
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. chest — of your body
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. clip — a video
  22. current — electric
  23. current — of water
  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