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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 116 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: snap · bound · mine · stem · sharp · hide · bulb · clip

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bulb — for light
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bulb — for light
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. clip — to cut
  10. mine — for digging
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. sharp — clever
  18. clip — a video
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. stem — to come from
  24. hide — animal skin

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