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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · clip · snap · season · object · pound · wind · bulb

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wind — moving air
  3. staff — employees
  4. clip — for paper
  5. object — an aim
  6. clip — a video
  7. bulb — for light
  8. season — in sport
  9. bulb — for light
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. staff — a stick
  12. pound — a weight
  13. object — a thing
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. staff — employees
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. object — to protest
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. clip — to cut

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