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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: stand · pop · clip · bulb · mine · toast · stick · drill

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pop — music
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. clip — to cut
  11. drill — the tool
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pop — soda
  16. toast — bread
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — army training
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. clip — a video
  24. pop — to visit

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