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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. tube — a container
  3. clip — a video
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. spell — magic
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. spell — letters
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mark — a trace
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. clip — to cut
  16. branch — a division
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a skill
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. chest — a box
  22. mark — a grade
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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