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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: bulb · ground · clip · track · scale · roll · tear · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. tear — to rip
  3. clip — for paper
  4. ground — the earth
  5. roll — a list
  6. ground — a position
  7. tear — from crying
  8. track — to keep track
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bulb — for light
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. clip — a video
  13. track — a song
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. roll — a cake
  16. track — a path
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. ground — crushed
  19. mug — to rob
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mug — a cup
  22. scale — in music
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bulb — for light

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