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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: clip · drill · toast · trunk · track · suit · pitcher · prune

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. toast — bread
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. prune — to trim
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. drill — a practice
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. suit — in cards
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. drill — army training
  16. clip — a video
  17. suit — clothes
  18. track — a song
  19. drill — the tool
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. prune — to trim
  23. clip — to cut
  24. suit — to fit

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