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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: deal · fan · nail · bulb · bat · wake · clip · lie

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bulb — for light
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lie — to recline
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bat — the animal
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. deal — to handle
  17. clip — a video
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bulb — for light
  23. clip — for paper
  24. nail — on a finger

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