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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: suit · content · row · bulb · rock · mine · staff · clip

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. suit — clothes
  4. clip — for paper
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. content — happy
  7. staff — a stick
  8. suit — to fit
  9. clip — a video
  10. rock — music
  11. mine — for digging
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. row — a line
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. rock — a stone
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. suit — in cards
  24. row — to paddle

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