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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 116 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bank — for money
  4. drill — the tool
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bank — for money
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. drill — army training
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. squash — to crush
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bank — of a river
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. lie — to recline
  16. squash — the sport
  17. drill — a practice
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. clip — for paper
  20. pitch — completely
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. cell — in biology
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

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