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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.

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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: cabinet · can · clip · fork · trunk · rule · hide · root

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. fork — in a road
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. can — a tin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. clip — for paper
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. root — of a word
  15. clip — a video
  16. rule — a law
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. root — of a plant
  21. root — the cause
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. rule — government

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