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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 · lash · bulb · march · land · stock · bore · foot

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. land — ground
  8. bore — to tire
  9. stock — shares
  10. bore — to drill
  11. clip — a video
  12. march — the month
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. stock — goods
  15. clip — for paper
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. march — music
  19. bulb — for light
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. march — the month

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