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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. lie — to recline
  4. clip — to cut
  5. cue — a signal
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wind — moving air
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. prune — to trim
  12. cue — for pool
  13. wind — moving air
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. cue — a hint
  19. clip — a video
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. clip — for paper
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. lie — an untruth

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