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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 · bulb · bay · sharp · lie · branch · clip · ground

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. clip — a video
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. spring — the season
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bulb — for light
  9. ground — crushed
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. branch — a division
  13. clip — for paper
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. clip — to cut
  16. ground — the earth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bulb — for light
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. ground — a position
  24. lie — to recline

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