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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 120 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: cell · mate · bulb · foot · can · rash · bound · clip

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bound — tied together
  5. rash — a series
  6. mate — to breed
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. foot — a measure
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mate — a friend
  14. clip — a video
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. cell — in biology
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. can — a tin
  19. bound — certain
  20. can — a tin
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. bulb — for light
  23. mate — a partner
  24. bulb — of a plant

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