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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 120 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 · rush · bulb · fine · fall · tube · staff · trunk

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. fine — all right
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — for paper
  7. fall — to drop
  8. clip — a video
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bulb — for light
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. fall — the season
  16. rush — hurry
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. fine — high quality
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. staff — employees
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bulb — for light

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