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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. prune — to trim
  4. suit — to fit
  5. current — of water
  6. object — to protest
  7. prune — to trim
  8. object — a thing
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. object — an aim
  12. suit — clothes
  13. shower — rain
  14. clip — a video
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. shower — to wash
  17. current — electric
  18. stand — to bear
  19. suit — in cards
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. snap — to click
  22. clip — for paper
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. current — happening now

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