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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pop — soda
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. squash — the sport
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to click
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pop — music
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wind — moving air
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. squash — to crush

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