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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. rest — what's left
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rest — what's left
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spell — magic
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. clip — for paper
  12. spring — of water
  13. clip — a video
  14. spell — a short time
  15. prune — to trim
  16. spring — the season
  17. rest — a break
  18. spell — letters
  19. foot — a measure
  20. season — of the year
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. prune — to trim
  23. season — in sport
  24. fork — in a road

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