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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bank — for money
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bulb — for light
  5. content — the amount
  6. bulb — for light
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. band — a music group
  9. roll — a list
  10. clip — a video
  11. land — a country
  12. bank — for money
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. clip — for paper
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. roll — a cake
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bank — of a river
  19. clip — to cut
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. content — happy
  22. land — ground
  23. band — a ring
  24. land — to come down

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