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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · hide · cap · trunk · wave · dip · bound · key

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bound — tied together
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. cap — a hat
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. clip — for paper
  11. key — the most important part
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bound — certain
  15. clip — to cut
  16. cap — a lid
  17. clip — a video
  18. key — for a lock
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. key — in music
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bound — obliged

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