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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 120 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: kick · prune · stem · bark · perch · key · bulb · clip

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. clip — a video
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. key — in music
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. clip — for paper
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. bark — to shout
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. perch — the fish
  14. prune — to trim
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. key — for a lock
  17. clip — to cut
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bulb — for light
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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