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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. clip — for paper
  5. pit — in a race
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. clip — a video
  12. branch — a division
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. clip — to cut
  16. wake — a trail
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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