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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: trunk · cap · degree · hide · clip · lash · firm · tube

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. cap — of ice
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. degree — an amount
  5. clip — to cut
  6. firm — steady
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — a lid
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. clip — for paper
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — temperature
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. firm — a company
  16. clip — a video
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. tube — a container
  19. firm — decided
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — in a tire

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