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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 · coach · roll · clip · leaves · arm · pound · wake

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. clip — a video
  5. roll — a cake
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. clip — for paper
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pound — a weight
  13. wake — a trail
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a list
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. clip — to cut
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. trunk — of a tree

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