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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cap — a lid
  3. swing — to play on
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bound — tied together
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bound — certain
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. swing — music
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. prune — to trim
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. clip — to cut
  16. swing — in golf
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bound — obliged
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cap — a hat

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