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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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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. race — a contest
  4. bark — to shout
  5. suit — clothes
  6. suit — to fit
  7. present — there
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. present — a gift
  10. bulb — for light
  11. clip — for paper
  12. suit — in cards
  13. fork — in a road
  14. clip — to cut
  15. present — the time now
  16. club — for golf
  17. race — humankind
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. club — for dancing
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. club — a group

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