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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. bass — the instrument
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bass — the fish
  6. root — of a plant
  7. clip — to cut
  8. root — of a word
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. clip — for paper
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. clip — a video
  14. bass — low music
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. root — the cause
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. foot — the bottom
  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