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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: coach · bulb · chair · club · content · stem · prune · clip

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. clip — a video
  3. stem — to come from
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. content — the amount
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. clip — for paper
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. prune — to trim
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. clip — to cut
  12. content — happy
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bulb — for light
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — for dancing
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. club — a group
  22. chair — a leader
  23. bulb — for light
  24. coach — a trainer

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