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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. swing — in golf
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. clip — for paper
  6. file — a document
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. swing — to play on
  12. prune — to trim
  13. file — a line of people
  14. clip — to cut
  15. swing — music
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. clip — a video
  19. content — the amount
  20. file — a tool
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. content — happy

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