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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. clip — to cut
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. row — a line
  5. row — to paddle
  6. charge — electricity
  7. perch — the fish
  8. degree — an amount
  9. charge — a price
  10. degree — from a university
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. mark — a trace
  13. degree — temperature
  14. charge — in control
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. prune — to trim
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mark — a grade
  24. calf — a young animal

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