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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. squash — the sport
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. game — a match
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stem — to come from
  17. game — wild animals
  18. lean — to bend
  19. clip — a video
  20. lean — thin
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bulb — for light

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