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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. clip — a video
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. craft — boats
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wake — a trail
  10. clip — to cut
  11. suit — in cards
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. cell — in biology
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. suit — clothes
  16. clip — for paper
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. suit — to fit
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. craft — a skill
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cell — a phone
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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