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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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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: trunk · clip · prune · band · nail · bulb · squash · fan

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. clip — a video
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. band — a ring
  17. clip — to cut
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. clip — for paper
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. band — a music group

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