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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bulb — for light
  5. current — of water
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. rest — a break
  8. clip — a video
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wound — an injury
  14. perch — the fish
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. current — electric
  18. dip — to sink
  19. rest — what's left
  20. ground — the earth
  21. current — happening now
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — crushed
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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