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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: pit · land · root · trunk · cabinet · wake · lie · clip

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. land — a country
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. root — of a word
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pit — a hole
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. root — of a plant
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. land — to come down
  18. lie — to recline
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. root — the cause
  21. land — ground
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. clip — to cut
  24. wake — a trail

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