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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 116 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. object — an aim
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — in a race
  9. season — of the year
  10. object — to protest
  11. clip — a video
  12. prune — to trim
  13. season — in sport
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. object — a thing
  17. pit — a hole
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. prune — to trim
  21. clip — to cut
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. clip — for paper

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