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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 120 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — to cut
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. lie — to recline
  8. rash — a series
  9. deal — to handle
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. fine — all right
  13. clip — a video
  14. scale — size or range
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. scale — in music
  17. fine — high quality
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rash — hasty
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rash — on the skin

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