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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.

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: clip · arm · bulb · trunk · toast · pop · mate · content

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. mate — to breed
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bulb — for light
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pop — soda
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bulb — for light
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. clip — a video
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. content — happy
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. pop — music
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. clip — for paper
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. content — the amount
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. toast — bread
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. pop — to visit

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