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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.

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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: dip · bark · file · cabinet · net · bulb · court · clip

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — to cut
  4. court — of law
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. net — for catching
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. clip — for paper
  13. court — of a king
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. court — for sport
  17. bulb — for light
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a tool
  20. net — in sport
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. dip — to sink
  23. net — after costs
  24. bark — to shout

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