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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. clip — to cut
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spring — a coil
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. prune — to trim
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. spring — of water
  15. track — a song
  16. spring — the season
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. clip — a video
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. rest — what's left
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  24. jam — a tight spot

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