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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: prune · club · kick · bulb · dip · chair · clip · wound

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bulb — for light
  4. club — a group
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. clip — for paper
  8. club — for dancing
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. chair — a leader
  15. wound — an injury
  16. club — for golf
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wound — an injury
  19. kick — in football
  20. dip — to sink
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. bulb — for light

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