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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. staff — a stick
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. lean — to bend
  6. season — in sport
  7. fine — high quality
  8. staff — employees
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. clip — to cut
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. lean — thin
  14. clip — for paper
  15. prune — to trim
  16. clip — a video
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. fine — all right
  21. prune — to trim
  22. season — of the year
  23. date — the fruit
  24. staff — employees

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