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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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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: pound · clip · can · bark · firm · branch · bulb · face

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. can — a tin
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. face — to confront
  6. bulb — for light
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. clip — a video
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. firm — a company
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. can — to be able to
  14. firm — steady
  15. face — part of the head
  16. clip — to cut
  17. branch — a division
  18. clip — for paper
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. firm — decided
  21. can — a tin
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bark — to shout

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