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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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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: bulb · court · charge · stem · lie · fine · mark · clip

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. lie — to recline
  4. court — of a king
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. mark — a trace
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. clip — for paper
  13. charge — in control
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — all right
  18. bulb — for light
  19. charge — electricity
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. mark — a grade
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. stem — to come from
  24. charge — a price

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