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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · perch · board · clip · safe · trunk · court · tube

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. clip — for paper
  3. board — a committee
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. court — of law
  6. band — a music group
  7. board — to get on
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. clip — to cut
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. band — a ring
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. court — of a king
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. court — for sport
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. tube — a container
  22. clip — a video
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. perch — the fish

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