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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cap — a lid
  3. clip — to cut
  4. charge — in control
  5. root — of a plant
  6. root — of a word
  7. cap — of ice
  8. charge — a price
  9. prune — to trim
  10. face — to point toward
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. face — part of the head
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. cap — a hat
  16. root — the cause
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. face — to confront
  21. kick — in football
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. charge — electricity
  24. clip — a video

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