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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — money
  4. clip — for paper
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. capital — a city
  8. clip — to cut
  9. march — music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. clip — a video
  14. mug — a face
  15. bear — the animal
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mug — a cup
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. mug — to rob
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. trunk — of a tree

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