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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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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: rash · bulb · ground · key · clip · land · foot · content

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. ground — a position
  3. key — for a lock
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. content — the amount
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. bulb — for light
  8. ground — the earth
  9. key — in music
  10. rash — a series
  11. foot — a measure
  12. rash — hasty
  13. clip — to cut
  14. land — a country
  15. clip — for paper
  16. land — to come down
  17. key — the most important part
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. clip — a video
  21. land — ground
  22. content — happy
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bulb — of a plant

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