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

Word bank: suit · board · perch · race · kick · prune · clip · cabinet

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — clothes
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. clip — to cut
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. suit — to fit
  8. clip — for paper
  9. perch — the fish
  10. race — the arms race
  11. board — a committee
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. race — humankind
  14. board — to get on
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. prune — to trim
  18. kick — in football
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. race — a contest
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. clip — a video
  24. cabinet — ministers

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