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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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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: toast · mate · bear · clip · prune · deal · stick · pitcher

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — a partner
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. toast — bread
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. clip — a video
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bear — the animal
  14. prune — to trim
  15. clip — to cut
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mate — to breed
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. bear — the animal
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. clip — for paper
  24. prune — to trim

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