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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: mark · clip · fall · fork · mine · pitch · hand · bulb

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. fork — in a road
  4. clip — for paper
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pitch — completely
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mark — a grade
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. hand — help
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fall — the season
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fall — to drop
  21. clip — a video
  22. mark — a trace
  23. fork — to eat with
  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