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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: drill · last · wave · pit · clip · press · bulb · content

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. press — a publisher
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bulb — for light
  7. press — newspapers
  8. clip — a video
  9. last — to go on
  10. bulb — for light
  11. last — final
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. content — happy
  15. press — to push
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. drill — army training
  19. content — the amount
  20. drill — a practice
  21. clip — to cut
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. clip — for paper
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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