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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spell — a short time
  3. clip — a video
  4. bulb — for light
  5. clip — to cut
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. clip — for paper
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. field — farmland
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. bulb — for light
  14. spell — magic
  15. field — a subject
  16. spell — letters
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. field — for sport
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. rest — a break
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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