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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. lean — to bend
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. march — the month
  9. clip — a video
  10. pass — a permit
  11. clip — to cut
  12. pit — a hole
  13. march — music
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. prune — to trim
  18. lean — thin
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. clip — for paper
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. march — the month
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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