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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. cap — a hat
  5. fall — to drop
  6. season — of the year
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cap — of ice
  10. branch — a division
  11. clip — a video
  12. season — in sport
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. band — a ring
  15. cap — a lid
  16. fall — the season
  17. clip — to cut
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. band — a music group
  20. clip — for paper
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fall — to drop

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