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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lean — thin
  4. saw — the tool
  5. prune — to trim
  6. saw — the tool
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — for dancing
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. capital — money
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. capital — a city
  13. clip — to cut
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — a hint
  17. clip — a video
  18. club — a group
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. clip — for paper
  23. perch — the fish
  24. lean — to bend

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