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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. saw — the tool
  3. prune — to trim
  4. net — after costs
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. swing — to play on
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rule — government
  9. swing — in golf
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — in sport
  12. prune — to trim
  13. saw — the tool
  14. clip — for paper
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. swing — music
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. rule — a law
  22. clip — a video
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. trunk — of a car

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