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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: tube · hide · wax · deal · ball · trunk · fan · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. ball — a great time
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. tube — a container
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. ball — a dance
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. tube — the underground
  18. wax — to grow
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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