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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. kick — in football
  3. prune — to trim
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bank — for money
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bank — of a river
  10. clip — for paper
  11. game — wild animals
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. game — a match
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bank — for money
  16. perch — the fish
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. clip — a video
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. prune — to trim
  24. lie — to recline

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