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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: cabinet · bark · content · clip · current · bulb · roll · wax

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. clip — a video
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. current — of water
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — happy
  10. content — the amount
  11. roll — a list
  12. bark — to shout
  13. clip — for paper
  14. current — happening now
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. wax — to grow
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. clip — to cut
  20. current — electric
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. roll — a cake

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