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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. object — an aim
  6. bulb — for light
  7. object — a thing
  8. club — a group
  9. object — to protest
  10. prune — to trim
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. clip — to cut
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the sport
  18. prune — to trim
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bulb — for light
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. clip — a video

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