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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: clip · can · stick · wound · field · trunk · bank · mark

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mark — a trace
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. field — a subject
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. can — a tin
  7. field — farmland
  8. bank — of a river
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bank — for money
  11. can — to be able to
  12. clip — to cut
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. clip — a video
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bank — for money
  17. field — for sport
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. can — a tin
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mark — a grade
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. mark — to pay attention

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