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

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. clip — a video
  3. present — there
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. object — to protest
  6. tube — the underground
  7. present — a gift
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. ground — a position
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. ground — the earth
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — a thing
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. clip — for paper
  17. present — the time now
  18. rush — hurry
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. clip — to cut
  22. ground — crushed
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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