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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: arm · tear · squash · current · clip · trunk · rush · track

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. clip — a video
  5. tear — from crying
  6. clip — for paper
  7. current — electric
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a song
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. squash — to crush
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — of water
  15. clip — to cut
  16. squash — the sport
  17. tear — to rip
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. track — a path
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. rush — hurry

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