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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. mate — to breed
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. squash — the sport
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. clip — for paper
  12. degree — an amount
  13. squash — to crush
  14. mate — a friend
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. degree — temperature
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. degree — from a university
  19. bore — to drill
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bore — to tire
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bulb — for light
  24. swing — music

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