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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. prune — to trim
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bank — of a river
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bank — for money
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. prune — to trim
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. clip — to cut
  15. field — farmland
  16. chip — to eat
  17. clip — for paper
  18. field — for sport
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bank — for money
  22. chip — for betting
  23. clip — a video
  24. field — a subject

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