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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. prune — to trim
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. lean — thin
  9. clip — a video
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. march — the month
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. march — music
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stand — to bear
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stem — to come from
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pitch — completely
  23. march — the month
  24. stem — a stem cell

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