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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.

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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: rush · swing · clip · bulb · land · plane · root · mark

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bulb — for light
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — a video
  5. swing — in golf
  6. land — ground
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — a tool
  9. swing — to play on
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. root — of a word
  12. swing — music
  13. land — a country
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. mark — a grade
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mark — a trace
  18. land — to come down
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. root — the cause
  24. mark — to pay attention

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