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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: rock · trunk · ball · saw · track · lash · clip · cap

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — a stone
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. clip — a video
  6. track — a path
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — a hat
  9. track — to keep track
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. saw — the tool
  12. track — a song
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cap — of ice
  17. ball — a great time
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. rock — music
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

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