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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: saw · field · bulb · fall · mug · fork · clip · rule

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. field — a subject
  3. fall — to drop
  4. saw — the tool
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — to cut
  7. mug — a face
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rule — a law
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. field — for sport
  19. fall — the season
  20. mug — a cup
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bulb — for light
  23. field — farmland
  24. rule — government

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