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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. court — of a king
  6. cue — a hint
  7. court — for sport
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cue — for pool
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bark — to shout
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. court — of law
  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