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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. object — a thing
  3. shower — rain
  4. object — an aim
  5. clip — for paper
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. object — to protest
  9. sharp — clever
  10. prune — to trim
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. lie — to recline
  13. shower — to wash
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. clip — to cut
  18. track — a path
  19. clip — a video
  20. track — to keep track
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. prune — to trim
  23. track — a song
  24. sharp — exactly

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