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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — a phone
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bound — tied together
  7. clip — a video
  8. scale — size or range
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. clip — for paper
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. scale — in music
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. rush — hurry
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bound — obliged
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. clip — to cut
  21. snap — to click
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. bound — certain
  24. foot — a measure

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