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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 · suit · bulb · land · drill · trunk · fall · mate

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. suit — in cards
  4. clip — to cut
  5. land — to come down
  6. fall — the season
  7. drill — the tool
  8. clip — for paper
  9. drill — army training
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mate — to breed
  12. clip — a video
  13. mate — a friend
  14. fall — to drop
  15. land — ground
  16. mate — a partner
  17. land — a country
  18. drill — a practice
  19. suit — clothes
  20. fall — to drop
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. suit — to fit
  24. trunk — of a car

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