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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. chest — of your body
  3. clip — a video
  4. bank — of a river
  5. rock — a stone
  6. drill — a practice
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bank — for money
  9. clip — for paper
  10. chest — a box
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bank — for money
  13. date — the fruit
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — music
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. drill — the tool
  18. clip — to cut
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. drill — army training
  21. chest — of your body
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. trunk — of a tree

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