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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 120 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. clip — to cut
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. staff — employees
  5. can — to be able to
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. staff — employees
  8. last — final
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. clip — a video
  13. prune — to trim
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. last — finally
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stock — shares
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. staff — a stick
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. last — to go on

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