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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: bass · wound · mouse · rule · stick · trunk · clip · pit

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. pit — a hole
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bass — low music
  7. clip — for paper
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wound — an injury
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rule — a law
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. clip — a video
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bass — the fish
  19. pit — in a race
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. rule — government
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bass — the instrument

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