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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: rush · clip · kid · leaves · bulb · saw · mug · bat

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bulb — for light
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — to tease
  10. clip — for paper
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mug — a cup
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bat — the animal
  19. mug — a face
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. saw — the tool

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