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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: clip · mark · roll · bound · stick · trunk · season · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — bread
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bound — certain
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. clip — a video
  7. clip — for paper
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. roll — a cake
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. season — in sport
  12. mark — a trace
  13. roll — a list
  14. season — of the year
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — obliged
  22. clip — to cut
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. mark — a grade

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