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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: chest · clip · safe · trunk · board · pit · prune · bulb

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. pit — in a race
  5. clip — for paper
  6. chest — a box
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. chest — of your body
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. bulb — for light
  11. board — a committee
  12. clip — a video
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. board — to get on
  16. chest — of your body
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pit — a hole
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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