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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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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: scale · wave · bark · clip · rest · fall · prune · capital

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bark — to shout
  3. scale — in music
  4. rest — what's left
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. clip — a video
  7. prune — to trim
  8. rest — what's left
  9. capital — money
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. capital — a city
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. fall — the season
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rest — a break
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. clip — to cut

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