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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. game — wild animals
  5. clip — a video
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bank — for money
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. clip — for paper
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bank — for money
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. game — a match
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bank — of a river
  20. suit — to fit
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. suit — clothes
  23. tear — to rip
  24. suit — in cards

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