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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. clip — for paper
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. object — an aim
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. hand — help
  9. clip — to cut
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. object — to protest
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bulb — for light
  16. hand — in cards
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. object — a thing
  19. mine — for digging
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bulb — for light
  22. foot — a measure
  23. clip — a video
  24. ruler — for measuring

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