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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  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. clip — to cut
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. prune — to trim
  4. clip — for paper
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. mate — a partner
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. court — of a king
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a friend
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. prune — to trim
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. clip — a video
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  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