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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  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. trunk — of a tree
  2. lie — to recline
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. march — the month
  5. game — a match
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. march — the month
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. game — wild animals
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. pound — a weight
  19. prune — to trim
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. clip — for paper
  23. march — music
  24. clip — a video

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