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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.

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: bulb · row · stick · face · degree · nail · clip · object

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — a video
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bulb — for light
  6. clip — for paper
  7. face — to point toward
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. object — to protest
  10. face — part of the head
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. object — an aim
  13. face — to confront
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — from a university
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. degree — an amount
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. row — to paddle
  23. object — a thing
  24. row — a line

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