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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. clip — for paper
  3. net — in sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. tube — the underground
  6. clip — to cut
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. root — of a word
  10. bound — certain
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. net — after costs
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. tube — a container
  16. root — the cause
  17. clip — a video
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — tied together
  24. racket — for tennis

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