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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 124 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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. clip — for paper
  4. date — the fruit
  5. row — a line
  6. last — final
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. branch — a division
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a hat
  15. clip — to cut
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. last — finally
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — a measure
  22. row — to paddle
  23. cap — a lid
  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