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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · band · date · bulb · trunk · present · board · lash

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. clip — a video
  3. bulb — for light
  4. band — a music group
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. date — the fruit
  13. present — the time now
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. board — to get on
  16. band — a ring
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bulb — for light
  19. present — a gift
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. present — there
  23. clip — for paper
  24. board — a flat piece

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