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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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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: tube · straw · bat · clip · net · trunk · safe · bulb

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. clip — to cut
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. clip — a video
  6. net — in sport
  7. tube — a container
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — for catching
  11. bulb — for light
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bulb — for light
  15. clip — for paper
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bat — the animal

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