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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: bulb · roll · clip · present · rest · hand · jam · kick

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bulb — for light
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. clip — a video
  7. hand — help
  8. present — a gift
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. kick — in football
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. rest — what's left
  16. present — there
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. present — the time now
  20. rest — a break
  21. roll — a cake
  22. bulb — for light
  23. hand — in cards
  24. clip — for paper

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