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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. clip — a video
  3. prune — to trim
  4. suit — clothes
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. branch — a division
  7. can — a tin
  8. clip — for paper
  9. suit — in cards
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. can — a tin
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mate — a partner
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a friend
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — music
  20. clip — to cut
  21. suit — to fit
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. wind — moving air

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