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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: club · cue · bear · clip · trunk · cell · hide · sharp

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. cell — in biology
  4. club — a group
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cue — for pool
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. club — for golf
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bear — the animal
  11. clip — a video
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. clip — for paper
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bear — the animal
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cue — a signal
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. cell — a phone

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