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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 120 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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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: cap · saw · pit · chest · clip · stick · bulb · spring

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. spring — of water
  4. clip — to cut
  5. pit — a hole
  6. saw — the tool
  7. spring — a coil
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bulb — for light
  14. clip — for paper
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. chest — of your body
  21. clip — a video
  22. chest — a box
  23. pit — in a race
  24. spring — the season

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