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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. clip — to cut
  4. spring — a coil
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. spring — the season
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. spring — of water
  10. date — the fruit
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. clip — a video
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. kid — child
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. kid — to tease
  20. board — a committee
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. board — to get on

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