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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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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bulb — for light
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. tear — from crying
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bulb — for light
  7. clip — a video
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. mark — a trace
  15. race — a contest
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. clip — to cut
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. race — humankind
  20. mark — a grade
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — to tire
  24. calf — a young animal

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