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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
468
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: staff · leaves · clip · march · cell · trunk · drill · safe

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. clip — for paper
  4. drill — army training
  5. staff — employees
  6. drill — the tool
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. cell — in biology
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — a phone
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. staff — employees
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. staff — a stick
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. march — music
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. trunk — of a car

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