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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: staff · lash · present · safe · bulb · band · clip · field

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. field — for sport
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — farmland
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. present — there
  8. bulb — for light
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. present — a gift
  11. band — a ring
  12. bulb — for light
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. clip — a video
  16. staff — a stick
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. clip — to cut
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. band — a music group
  24. present — the time now

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