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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. track — a song
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. track — to keep track
  16. clip — for paper
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. track — a path
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. clip — a video
  24. leaves — to go away

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