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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · track · court · wound · bulb · safe · face · perch

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. face — to confront
  3. bulb — for light
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. clip — to cut
  8. perch — the fish
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. court — of a king
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bulb — for light
  15. clip — for paper
  16. court — of law
  17. court — for sport
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. face — to point toward
  20. track — to keep track
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. clip — a video
  23. track — a song
  24. perch — for a bird

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