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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: band · snap · pitch · trunk · clip · wake · land · safe

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. band — a music group
  6. clip — for paper
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. pitch — completely
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. land — to come down
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. wake — a trail
  14. land — ground
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. clip — a video
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. band — a ring
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. land — a country

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