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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · deal · chair · cell · spring · can · saw · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. saw — the tool
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cell — in biology
  7. spring — the season
  8. can — a tin
  9. spring — of water
  10. deal — to handle
  11. spring — a coil
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. cell — a phone
  17. can — a tin
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. clip — for paper
  22. can — to be able to
  23. clip — a video
  24. deal — an agreement

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