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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 116 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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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: content · clip · stem · lash · bat · vault · bear · bulb

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. content — the amount
  4. bear — the animal
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bat — the animal
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. content — happy
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bulb — for light
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stem — to come from
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bear — the animal
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. clip — a video
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bear — to put up with

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