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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: clip · wake · tube · scale · trunk · net · rule · foot

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. clip — to cut
  5. tube — a container
  6. wake — a trail
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. clip — for paper
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. net — after costs
  15. foot — a measure
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. net — in sport
  18. scale — size or range
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. net — for catching
  22. rule — a law
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. rule — government

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