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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: cap · trunk · hand · clip · squash · rest · pound · rock

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. squash — to crush
  3. clip — a video
  4. cap — of ice
  5. squash — the sport
  6. pound — a weight
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. rock — a stone
  9. cap — a hat
  10. hand — in cards
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. rock — music
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. cap — a lid
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. clip — for paper
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. clip — to cut
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. rest — what's left

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