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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — for paper
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. fork — in a road
  11. prune — to trim
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. season — of the year
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. clip — a video
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — in sport
  24. nail — on a finger

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