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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tube · wave · pop · bulb · wind · perch · clip · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. tube — a container
  5. clip — for paper
  6. key — the most important part
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pop — soda
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pop — to visit
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. pop — music
  21. key — in music
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. wave — with your hand

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