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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 120 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mug — a face
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — in music
  8. land — ground
  9. clip — a video
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mug — to rob
  13. key — for a lock
  14. land — to come down
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. land — a country
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. clip — for paper

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