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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: clip · tube · fall · net · snap · trunk · rush · coach

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. clip — a video
  3. rush — hurry
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. net — after costs
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. fall — the season
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. snap — to click
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. fall — to drop
  16. tube — the underground
  17. clip — to cut
  18. tube — a container
  19. fall — to drop
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. clip — for paper
  22. net — for catching
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. net — in sport

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