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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. clip — a video
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. lean — thin
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. march — music
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. current — happening now
  14. bulb — for light
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. march — the month
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bulb — for light
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. lean — to bend
  22. current — of water
  23. current — electric
  24. march — the month

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