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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.

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: trunk · wave · spell · bore · capital · clip · firm · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. firm — a company
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. capital — a city
  5. clip — a video
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — a short time
  8. clip — to cut
  9. firm — decided
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. clip — for paper
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. spell — magic
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. bore — to drill
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. firm — steady
  21. capital — money
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bore — to tire
  24. hide — to keep secret

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