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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. scale — in music
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. cue — for pool
  6. clip — a video
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. prune — to trim
  12. lie — to recline
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. cue — a signal
  15. fork — in a road
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. cue — a hint
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. clip — to cut
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. clip — for paper
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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