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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fine · stem · can · content · bulb · wind · bark · clip

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. stem — to come from
  3. clip — to cut
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — happy
  7. can — to be able to
  8. content — the amount
  9. can — a tin
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bark — to shout
  14. fine — high quality
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fine — all right
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. clip — a video
  24. can — a tin

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