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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: chip · bass · cap · board · clip · trunk · hide · can

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. board — to get on
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. clip — for paper
  5. cap — of ice
  6. board — a committee
  7. can — a tin
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. chip — to eat
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. cap — a hat
  13. clip — to cut
  14. can — to be able to
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. cap — a lid
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. can — a tin
  19. bass — the fish
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. chip — for betting
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. clip — a video

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