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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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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: trunk · dip · season · pitcher · wake · wave · mouse · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. clip — a video
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wake — a trail
  11. season — of the year
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. dip — to sink
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. season — in sport
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. season — to add flavour
  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