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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 116 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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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: row · pass · pound · trunk · key · face · clip · ground

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. ground — the earth
  3. pass — a permit
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. key — in music
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. row — to paddle
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. key — the most important part
  12. face — to confront
  13. key — for a lock
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. ground — crushed
  16. clip — a video
  17. face — part of the head
  18. ground — a position
  19. row — a line
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — a weight
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. face — to point toward

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