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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.

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: object · mug · clip · cold · stem · branch · bulb · kick

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. bulb — for light
  4. clip — for paper
  5. stem — to come from
  6. cold — not warm
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. object — to protest
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — a division
  12. kick — in football
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mug — a face
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. mug — a cup
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mug — to rob
  19. clip — to cut
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — an aim
  22. clip — a video
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. bulb — of a plant

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