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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. can — a tin
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. clip — a video
  10. bound — tied together
  11. clip — for paper
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rule — government
  14. can — to be able to
  15. scale — in music
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rule — a law
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. can — a tin
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. scale — size or range

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