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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: drill · wave · pit · fork · clip · trunk · chip · stand

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. clip — to cut
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. pit — in a race
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. pit — a hole
  9. stand — to bear
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. drill — the tool
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. drill — a practice
  14. chip — for betting
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. clip — for paper
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. drill — army training
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. chip — to eat
  21. clip — a video
  22. fork — in a road
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. wave — of the sea

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