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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. wind — moving air
  3. clip — to cut
  4. press — a publisher
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. craft — a skill
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. prune — to trim
  9. track — to keep track
  10. craft — boats
  11. press — to push
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. rest — a break
  14. clip — for paper
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rest — what's left
  17. press — newspapers
  18. track — a song
  19. clip — a video
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. track — a path
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. prune — to trim

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