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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. clip — a video
  4. current — of water
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bear — the animal
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. prune — to trim
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — a trace
  15. clip — for paper
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. current — electric
  20. foot — a measure
  21. clip — to cut
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. current — happening now
  24. bear — the animal

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