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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 120 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: stock · tube · wake · hide · coach · clip · trunk · arm

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — a container
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stock — shares
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. clip — for paper
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. clip — a video
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. stock — goods
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wake — a trail

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