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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · game · pit · bear · arm · bulb

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pit — in a race
  3. clip — to cut
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bulb — for light
  9. clip — a video
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bear — the animal
  13. clip — for paper
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bulb — of a plant

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