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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: leaves · clip · pit · mate · trunk · bay · dip · plane

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. clip — a video
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. pit — in a race
  9. clip — for paper
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. plane — a tool
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — to sink
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. pit — a hole
  22. mate — to breed
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. clip — to cut

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