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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 · foot · band · capital · bulb · date · roll · bay

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. band — a ring
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. clip — to cut
  14. band — a music group
  15. date — the fruit
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. roll — a cake
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — money
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. clip — for paper
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. roll — a list
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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