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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  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. snap — to click
  2. prune — to trim
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. clip — for paper
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. present — there
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. present — a gift
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. plane — a tool
  16. clip — a video
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. pound — a weight
  20. present — the time now
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pound — to hit hard
  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