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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: clip · trunk · bulb · dip · stem · calf · cue · season

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. season — of the year
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. clip — a video
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stem — to come from
  17. cue — for pool
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. dip — to sink
  20. season — in sport
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. clip — for paper
  23. cue — a signal
  24. clip — to cut

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