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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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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: rule · last · can · stick · pound · trunk · cell · clip

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. rule — government
  5. last — finally
  6. clip — for paper
  7. can — to be able to
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. can — a tin
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. clip — to cut
  14. rule — a law
  15. cell — a phone
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. last — final
  18. clip — a video
  19. pound — a weight
  20. cell — in biology
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. last — to go on
  23. can — a tin
  24. pound — to hit hard

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