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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 120 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: bat · bank · current · patient · bulb · race · root · clip

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. clip — a video
  3. root — of a plant
  4. clip — to cut
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — electric
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. current — of water
  11. race — a contest
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bank — of a river
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. race — humankind
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bat — the animal
  19. root — the cause
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. root — of a word
  22. race — the arms race
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bat — for baseball

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