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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. object — to protest
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. clip — for paper
  7. suit — clothes
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. object — a thing
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. hand — help
  12. suit — in cards
  13. clip — to cut
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. suit — to fit
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. craft — a skill
  18. object — an aim
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. hand — in cards
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. craft — boats
  24. clip — a video

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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