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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: trunk · cue · march · shower · leaves · racket · calf · clip

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. cue — a hint
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cue — for pool
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. shower — rain
  7. march — the month
  8. clip — to cut
  9. march — the month
  10. clip — a video
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. clip — for paper
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. cue — a signal
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. march — music
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. shower — to wash
  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