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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: trunk · cue · staff · rash · spring · craft · leaves · clip

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. staff — a stick
  6. clip — for paper
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. clip — a video
  9. spring — the season
  10. cue — a hint
  11. clip — to cut
  12. spring — a coil
  13. craft — a skill
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. craft — boats
  16. spring — of water
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. staff — employees
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. staff — employees
  22. cue — for pool
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. cue — a signal

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