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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 124 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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. clip — a video
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bark — to shout
  7. drill — a practice
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. spring — of water
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. march — the month
  14. mug — a cup
  15. spring — a coil
  16. march — music
  17. mug — to rob
  18. drill — army training
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. march — the month
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mug — a face

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