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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. clip — for paper
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. dip — to sink
  8. clip — to cut
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. clip — a video
  12. saw — the tool
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. saw — the tool
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bank — of a river
  17. chair — a leader
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — for money
  24. chair — a professorship

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