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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: present · clip · prune · bear · bulb · hide

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bear — the animal
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — there
  7. clip — a video
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. clip — for paper
  14. present — a gift
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bulb — for light

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