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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. foot — a measure
  3. pop — soda
  4. prune — to trim
  5. clip — for paper
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pop — to visit
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. field — for sport
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pop — music
  18. clip — a video
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. field — a subject
  21. clip — to cut
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. field — farmland
  24. foot — part of the body

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