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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 · tear · chair · capital · bulb · calf

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — a video
  4. capital — money
  5. bulb — for light
  6. tear — to rip
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. tear — from crying
  10. capital — a city
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bulb — for light
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. clip — to cut
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. 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