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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. clip — to cut
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cap — a hat
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. mark — a trace
  9. cap — a lid
  10. branch — a division
  11. mark — a grade
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stand — to bear
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bear — the animal
  24. scale — in music

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