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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. clip — to cut
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. prune — to trim
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — a measure
  8. hand — in cards
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bulb — for light
  12. clip — for paper
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. prune — to trim
  23. hand — help
  24. clip — a video

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