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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. clip — for paper
  6. band — a music group
  7. tube — a container
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. pit — in a race
  10. band — a ring
  11. chip — for betting
  12. cell — in biology
  13. pit — a hole
  14. clip — a video
  15. prune — to trim
  16. chip — to eat
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. clip — to cut
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. cell — a phone

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