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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: sharp · swing · clip · lean · dip · leaves · safe · trunk

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. clip — for paper
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. lean — thin
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. swing — in golf
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. clip — to cut
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to sink
  19. swing — to play on
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. swing — music
  22. clip — a video
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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