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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: spring · pitch · last · dip · bulb · board · perch · clip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. board — to get on
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. board — a committee
  5. perch — the fish
  6. dip — to sink
  7. last — final
  8. spring — of water
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pitch — completely
  12. last — finally
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. spring — a coil
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. clip — a video
  18. last — to go on
  19. clip — to cut
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bulb — for light
  23. spring — the season
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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