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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. clip — for paper
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. clip — to cut
  5. sharp — clever
  6. plane — a tool
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. perch — the fish
  14. shower — to wash
  15. clip — a video
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. prune — to trim
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. shower — rain
  24. jam — in traffic

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