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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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. bass — the fish
  2. bass — low music
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. land — ground
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. clip — a video
  9. bulb — for light
  10. band — a ring
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. land — a country
  21. band — a music group
  22. bulb — for light
  23. land — to come down
  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