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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: trunk · suit · bulb · rock · land · bark · foot · clip

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. suit — clothes
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. land — to come down
  5. rock — a stone
  6. land — a country
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bulb — for light
  9. clip — for paper
  10. rock — music
  11. foot — a measure
  12. clip — to cut
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — to shout
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. suit — to fit
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bulb — for light
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. land — ground
  23. clip — a video
  24. suit — in cards

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