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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.

Make a worksheet

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: leaves · toast · clip · trunk · rush · temple · object · bear

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. object — an aim
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. rush — hurry
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. clip — a video
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. clip — to cut
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. object — a thing
  15. bear — the animal
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. object — to protest
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bear — the animal
  23. clip — for paper
  24. temple — a place of worship

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