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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.

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: root · present · squash · clip · trunk · bass · calf · file

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. root — of a word
  3. clip — for paper
  4. file — a line of people
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. root — the cause
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. squash — the sport
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. file — a document
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bass — the fish
  18. file — a tool
  19. present — there
  20. bass — low music
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — to crush
  23. clip — a video
  24. present — a gift

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