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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: clip · trunk · root · mate · roll · cap · lash · mug

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. clip — a video
  3. root — of a plant
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. root — of a word
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. cap — of ice
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. root — the cause
  13. mug — a face
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. cap — a hat
  17. mug — to rob
  18. clip — to cut
  19. mug — a cup
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. clip — for paper
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — a cake
  24. cap — a lid

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