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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 120 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. current — electric
  3. clip — for paper
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. current — happening now
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. season — of the year
  13. club — a group
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. current — of water
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bark — to shout
  19. club — for dancing
  20. season — in sport
  21. clip — a video
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. club — for golf
  24. sharp — clever

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