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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: roll · root · trunk · tube · bay · mug · clip · kick

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. root — of a word
  4. clip — a video
  5. roll — a cake
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. root — of a plant
  9. mug — a face
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. kick — in football
  13. mug — a cup
  14. tube — a container
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. clip — for paper
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. roll — a list
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. root — the cause
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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