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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: march · clip · rash · rule · track · lie · trunk · craft

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rule — government
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. lie — to recline
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. track — a song
  7. march — the month
  8. clip — a video
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. march — music
  12. craft — boats
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rule — a law
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. clip — to cut
  19. track — to keep track
  20. march — the month
  21. track — a path
  22. rash — a series
  23. craft — a skill
  24. trunk — of a car

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