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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: mark · bay · cap · toast · clip · safe · trunk · prune

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. cap — a lid
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. prune — to trim
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. mark — a grade
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — for paper
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a trace
  19. prune — to trim
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. clip — a video
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. cap — a hat

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