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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: row · trunk · stick · bowl · sharp · clip · mine · bulb

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bulb — for light
  6. clip — to cut
  7. row — a line
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bulb — for light
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — clever
  15. clip — for paper
  16. row — to paddle
  17. mine — for digging
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. clip — a video
  24. trunk — of a car

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