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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. prune — to trim
  3. clip — for paper
  4. staff — employees
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. suit — in cards
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. capital — money
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. club — for golf
  11. capital — a city
  12. staff — employees
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. clip — a video
  16. rest — what's left
  17. clip — to cut
  18. suit — to fit
  19. suit — clothes
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — a group
  23. prune — to trim
  24. staff — a stick

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