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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: bulb · land · dip · rash · clip · fine · drill · bowl

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. dip — to sink
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. land — a country
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. land — ground
  13. fine — high quality
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. land — to come down
  16. clip — a video
  17. fine — all right
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bulb — for light
  21. clip — for paper
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. drill — army training
  24. rash — a series

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