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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. clip — a video
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. band — a music group
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. clip — for paper
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. drill — army training
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. drill — a practice
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. band — a ring
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. clip — to cut
  18. drill — the tool

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