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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.

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: row · lie · drill · date · bulb · wound · content · clip

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. content — happy
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bulb — for light
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. clip — to cut
  11. date — the fruit
  12. wound — an injury
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. drill — army training
  15. clip — for paper
  16. drill — a practice
  17. clip — a video
  18. drill — the tool
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — the amount
  22. row — a line
  23. wound — an injury
  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