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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 · content · bulb · wake · pit · pitcher · shower · chip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wake — a trail
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bulb — for light
  5. shower — to wash
  6. clip — for paper
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pit — in a race
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — happy
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. chip — for betting
  20. shower — rain
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. clip — a video
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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