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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. last — finally
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. clip — for paper
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. prune — to trim
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wound — an injury
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. last — to go on
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. last — final
  22. plane — a tool
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. clip — a video

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