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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: squash · dip · clip · staff · capital · rule · trunk · pound

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. squash — to crush
  3. rule — government
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. clip — to cut
  6. capital — money
  7. staff — employees
  8. rule — a law
  9. pound — a weight
  10. staff — employees
  11. dip — to sink
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. squash — the sport
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. clip — for paper
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. capital — a city
  23. staff — a stick
  24. capital — a big letter

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