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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: bulb · drill · clip · bark · kick · prune · game · lie

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. drill — army training
  6. prune — to trim
  7. game — a match
  8. prune — to trim
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. drill — a practice
  14. bulb — for light
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. clip — a video
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bulb — for light
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. lie — to recline
  24. kick — in football

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