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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 120 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 · staff · clip · saw · object · spring · lie · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. saw — the tool
  3. lie — to recline
  4. pit — a hole
  5. spring — the season
  6. object — a thing
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. staff — a stick
  9. pit — in a race
  10. spring — of water
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. object — to protest
  14. spring — a coil
  15. object — an aim
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. saw — the tool
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. staff — employees
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. staff — employees

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