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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. prune — to trim
  7. track — to keep track
  8. key — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. fall — the season
  11. key — the most important part
  12. clip — for paper
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. rule — a law
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. clip — a video
  17. bark — to shout
  18. track — a song
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. fall — to drop
  22. clip — to cut
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. track — a path

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