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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  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. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. row — to paddle
  4. clip — for paper
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. last — finally
  7. present — there
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. present — a gift
  13. row — a line
  14. last — to go on
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. stock — shares
  17. last — final
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. clip — a video
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stock — goods
  23. trunk — of a car
  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