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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: pop · spell · ball · game · clip · bulb · wave · present

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. pop — soda
  3. present — the time now
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. spell — a short time
  6. clip — to cut
  7. game — wild animals
  8. present — there
  9. bulb — for light
  10. game — a match
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — music
  18. present — a gift
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a great time
  22. spell — magic
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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