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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: leaves · wind · clip · pit · scale · calf · prune · lean

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wind — moving air
  4. clip — a video
  5. pit — in a race
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. clip — to cut
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wind — moving air
  15. scale — size or range
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. pit — a hole
  19. lean — to bend
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. clip — for paper
  22. lean — thin
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. scale — in music

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