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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. clip — a video
  3. rash — a series
  4. clip — for paper
  5. wind — moving air
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pass — a permit
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bulb — for light
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rash — hasty
  24. wind — to turn a key

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