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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. clip — to cut
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. prune — to trim
  12. swing — to play on
  13. deal — to handle
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a city
  21. vault — a safe
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — music
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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