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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 · clip · last · fine · ruler · bass · roll

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. last — to go on
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rock — music
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bass — the fish
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. fine — high quality
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bass — low music
  14. clip — a video
  15. roll — a list
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. roll — a cake
  21. fine — all right
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. rock — a stone

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