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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: dip · ball · foot · swing · clip · trunk · root · lash

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — to cut
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. dip — to sink
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. clip — for paper
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. swing — to play on
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. root — the cause
  13. ball — a dance
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. root — of a plant
  16. foot — a measure
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. swing — in golf
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. ball — a great time
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. root — of a word
  24. swing — music

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