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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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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: tube · fork · clip · rest · bulb · pound · capital · stem

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. capital — a city
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. pound — a weight
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. clip — for paper
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. bulb — for light
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bulb — for light
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. clip — to cut
  20. rest — what's left
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. capital — money
  24. fork — in a road

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