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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — tied together
  7. staff — employees
  8. craft — boats
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. clip — for paper
  11. staff — employees
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. cap — a hat
  15. clip — to cut
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. craft — a skill
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cap — a lid
  20. clip — a video
  21. cap — of ice
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. staff — a stick

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