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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: file · perch · clip · deal · hide · cap · straw · trunk

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. cap — of ice
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. file — a document
  7. clip — for paper
  8. file — a line of people
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. file — a tool
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. clip — to cut
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cap — a hat
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. perch — the fish
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cap — a lid
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. clip — a video

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