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

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wound — an injury
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bound — tied together
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bound — obliged
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pass — a permit
  15. season — in sport
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — a practice
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bound — certain

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