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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.

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: stick · dip · bulb · rock · straw · clip · field · ground

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. clip — a video
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. dip — to sink
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. clip — for paper
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. clip — to cut
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. rock — music
  19. ground — crushed
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. field — farmland
  22. ground — a position
  23. rock — a stone
  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