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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. clip — to cut
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bulb — for light
  7. clip — a video
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bound — tied together
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bound — certain
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bound — obliged
  17. game — wild animals
  18. kick — in football
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — a tool
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mouse — the animal

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