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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 · hide · perch · bulb · staff · bound · tube · mine

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. tube — a container
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. clip — a video
  6. bulb — for light
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. clip — to cut
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mine — for digging
  13. staff — a stick
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. staff — employees
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bulb — for light
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. staff — employees
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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