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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 116 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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. clip — a video
  3. net — in sport
  4. can — to be able to
  5. lean — thin
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. can — a tin
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. clip — for paper
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. net — for catching
  16. clip — to cut
  17. kick — in football
  18. net — after costs
  19. can — a tin
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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