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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. spring — the season
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. content — happy
  8. prune — to trim
  9. press — to push
  10. branch — a division
  11. clip — a video
  12. prune — to trim
  13. content — the amount
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. spring — a coil
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — a publisher
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. spring — of water
  22. clip — for paper
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. fan — a supporter

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