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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 120 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. saw — the tool
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. clip — for paper
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. rest — a break
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. bulb — for light
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bound — obliged
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bound — certain
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. rest — what's left
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bound — tied together
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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