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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: stand · fan · can · date · pitch · clip · bark · bulb

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. can — to be able to
  4. bark — to shout
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. clip — for paper
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bulb — for light
  9. clip — a video
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. can — a tin
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bulb — for light
  15. stand — to bear
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. clip — to cut
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. can — a tin
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. date — on the calendar

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