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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: rule · root · bulb · press · drill · clip · bark · sharp

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. root — of a word
  3. clip — a video
  4. bulb — for light
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bulb — for light
  7. root — of a plant
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — to shout
  11. press — a publisher
  12. sharp — clever
  13. root — the cause
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. press — to push
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. drill — the tool
  21. press — newspapers
  22. rule — a law
  23. clip — to cut
  24. rule — government

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