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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 116 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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wake — a trail
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. tube — a container
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. clip — a video
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. prune — to trim
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. wake — before a funeral

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