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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. chip — to eat
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. clip — a video
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tube — the underground
  9. chip — for betting
  10. tear — from crying
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. toast — bread
  14. band — a ring
  15. foot — a measure
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. band — a music group
  19. tube — a container
  20. clip — for paper
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. clip — to cut
  24. tear — from crying

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