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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 120 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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. clip — for paper
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. ground — crushed
  5. clip — a video
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. ground — the earth
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. season — in sport
  10. chest — of your body
  11. vault — a safe
  12. chest — a box
  13. ground — a position
  14. chest — of your body
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. season — of the year
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. clip — to cut

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