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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: trunk · hide · tear · can · bowl · race · clip · sharp

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. clip — for paper
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. race — humankind
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. clip — to cut
  14. tear — from crying
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. race — a contest
  18. can — to be able to
  19. tear — to rip
  20. clip — a video
  21. tear — from crying
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — with an edge

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