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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. cue — for pool
  4. prune — to trim
  5. clip — a video
  6. cue — a hint
  7. clip — to cut
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. foot — a measure
  11. staff — employees
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. prune — to trim
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. cue — a signal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. staff — employees
  21. clip — for paper
  22. perch — the fish
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. staff — a stick

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