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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  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. staff — employees
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bark — to shout
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. present — there
  12. pit — in a race
  13. present — the time now
  14. staff — a stick
  15. present — a gift
  16. pit — a hole
  17. staff — employees
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. content — happy
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. content — the amount
  23. bound — obliged
  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