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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: rule · clip · pitcher · fan · bulb · bark · nail · trunk

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rule — government
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. clip — a video
  9. bulb — for light
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. rule — a law
  18. clip — to cut
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bark — to shout
  24. pitcher — a jug

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