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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bark — to shout
  6. suit — in cards
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. suit — to fit
  16. craft — boats
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. craft — a skill
  20. pass — a permit
  21. clip — a video
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. suit — clothes

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