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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 · current · pitch · bark · last · lean · clip · fine

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. last — final
  3. current — electric
  4. last — finally
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bulb — for light
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. last — to go on
  15. clip — to cut
  16. lean — thin
  17. fine — all right
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. clip — for paper
  20. current — of water
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. pitch — completely
  23. current — happening now
  24. bark — of a tree

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