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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ball — a dance
  3. clip — a video
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. mug — a cup
  6. clip — to cut
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. clip — for paper
  11. land — to come down
  12. plane — a tool
  13. ball — a great time
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. mug — to rob
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. land — ground
  22. mug — a face
  23. land — a country
  24. plane — an aircraft

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