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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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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: object · clip · spring · sharp · hand · rest · bulb · pit

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. object — a thing
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rest — what's left
  5. clip — for paper
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. clip — a video
  8. sharp — clever
  9. pit — a hole
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rest — a break
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. object — an aim
  18. spring — of water
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. spring — the season
  22. object — to protest
  23. sharp — exactly
  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