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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 · game · can · arm · pound · root · trunk · craft

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pound — a weight
  3. craft — boats
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. can — to be able to
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. clip — a video
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. root — of a word
  15. game — a match
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. craft — a skill
  18. clip — for paper
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. clip — to cut
  21. game — wild animals
  22. root — the cause
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. root — of a plant

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