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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 116 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. band — a ring
  6. lean — to bend
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lean — thin
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. perch — the fish
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. band — a music group
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pass — a permit
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. clip — a video
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. coach — a trainer

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