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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 ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. root — of a word
  3. rule — a law
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. clip — for paper
  7. lie — to recline
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. ground — crushed
  11. root — of a plant
  12. ground — a position
  13. clip — to cut
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rule — government
  17. clip — a video
  18. ground — the earth
  19. root — the cause
  20. sharp — clever
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rule — to rule out
  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