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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. wake — a trail
  3. clip — a video
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. prune — to trim
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. clip — for paper
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. shower — to wash
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. clip — to cut
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. capital — money
  15. rock — music
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. shower — rain
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. deal — to handle
  21. capital — a city
  22. rock — a stone
  23. prune — to trim
  24. deal — an agreement

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