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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. prune — to trim
  4. band — a ring
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bore — to tire
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. staff — a stick
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. clip — a video
  12. band — a music group
  13. staff — employees
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bulb — for light
  17. staff — employees
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bore — to drill
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bulb — for light

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