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

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. ground — crushed
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. bear — the animal
  12. clip — for paper
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rock — music
  15. ground — a position
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bear — the animal
  18. prune — the fruit

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