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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: net · clip · drill · shower · can · prune · bay · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. can — a tin
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. shower — rain
  9. clip — a video
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. drill — a practice
  12. prune — to trim
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. drill — the tool
  16. net — in sport
  17. prune — to trim
  18. net — after costs
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. net — for catching
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. drill — army training
  23. can — a tin
  24. shower — to wash

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