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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. prune — to trim
  6. clip — to cut
  7. capital — money
  8. club — for dancing
  9. rush — hurry
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. capital — a city
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. clip — a video
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. club — for golf
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. prune — to trim
  21. branch — a division
  22. clip — for paper
  23. club — a group
  24. rush — to hurry

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