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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: calf · stand · trunk · wind · mine · clip · wake · snap

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — a video
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. snap — to click
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. stand — to bear
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. wake — a trail
  24. stand — on your feet

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