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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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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: clip · lean · deal · pass · wind · bulb · bound · pitch

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. lean — thin
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. clip — a video
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bound — certain
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. bound — tied together
  17. lean — to bend
  18. clip — for paper
  19. deal — to handle
  20. pitch — completely
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. lean — to rest against

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