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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 116 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. band — a ring
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. stand — to bear
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. rock — music
  8. sharp — clever
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. prune — to trim
  22. band — a music group
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. band — a rubber band

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