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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bulb — for light
  4. kid — to tease
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. clip — for paper
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pass — a permit
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. clip — to cut
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. clip — a video
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. branch — a division
  21. kid — child
  22. cell — a phone
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. perch — for a bird

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