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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 120 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. clip — a video
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. craft — a skill
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. clip — to cut
  9. tube — a container
  10. craft — boats
  11. bark — to shout
  12. clip — for paper
  13. tube — the underground
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. trunk — of a car

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