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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 · band · racket · ball · clip · hide · bass · fork

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. ball — a dance
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. fork — in a road
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bass — the fish
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. clip — for paper
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. band — a ring
  15. bass — low music
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. clip — a video
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. band — a music group
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. racket — a loud noise

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