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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · clip · leaves · wake · land · chair · prune · cabinet

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. clip — for paper
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. land — ground
  5. rock — a stone
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. land — to come down
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. wake — a trail
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. clip — a video
  12. land — a country
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. rock — music
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. prune — to trim
  18. clip — to cut
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chair — a leader
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rock — to move gently

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