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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 seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. board — a committee
  4. bulb — for light
  5. mark — a trace
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. prune — to trim
  8. march — the month
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mine — for digging
  11. spring — of water
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bulb — for light
  14. march — the month
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. spring — the season
  21. march — music
  22. board — to get on
  23. clip — for paper
  24. mark — to pay attention

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