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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 120 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: staff · bulb · tube · clip · mouse · face · wound · race

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. staff — employees
  3. race — a contest
  4. clip — for paper
  5. race — humankind
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. staff — employees
  9. face — to confront
  10. clip — to cut
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. tube — a container
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. race — the arms race
  20. clip — a video
  21. face — part of the head
  22. staff — a stick
  23. tube — the underground
  24. wound — an injury

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