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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 120 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — to protest
  4. firm — a company
  5. firm — decided
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. firm — steady
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. clip — for paper
  11. object — an aim
  12. bark — to shout
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. clip — a video
  17. spring — a coil
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. spring — of water
  21. prune — to trim
  22. spring — the season
  23. prune — to trim
  24. foot — a measure

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