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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 120 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. lean — to bend
  6. cue — a hint
  7. clip — to cut
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cue — for pool
  14. snap — to click
  15. cue — a signal
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bulb — for light
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. clip — a video
  20. lean — thin
  21. bulb — for light
  22. drill — the tool
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. drill — army training

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