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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: squash · toast · club · fall · clip · trunk · bear · mine

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. club — a group
  8. toast — bread
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. bear — the animal
  11. fall — to drop
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. club — for golf
  14. squash — to crush
  15. fall — the season
  16. squash — the sport
  17. club — for dancing
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. fall — to drop
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mine — for digging
  23. clip — to cut
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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