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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. rule — government
  4. spring — a coil
  5. prune — to trim
  6. spring — the season
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. fine — high quality
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bank — for money
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. clip — a video
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. spring — of water
  18. branch — a division
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. fine — all right
  22. clip — for paper
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. rule — a law

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