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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. swing — music
  3. clip — to cut
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. track — to keep track
  8. swing — in golf
  9. mine — for digging
  10. clip — for paper
  11. swing — to play on
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. track — a song
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rest — a break
  20. clip — a video
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. track — a path
  23. mine — an explosive
  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