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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. prune — to trim
  4. clip — a video
  5. prune — to trim
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cap — of ice
  11. scale — in music
  12. face — to confront
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bear — the animal
  16. clip — for paper
  17. cap — a lid
  18. face — part of the head
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. cap — a hat
  21. scale — size or range
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bear — the animal
  24. face — to point toward

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