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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. drill — a practice
  4. clip — for paper
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. clip — to cut
  7. firm — a company
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pound — a weight
  10. firm — steady
  11. clip — a video
  12. bulb — for light
  13. drill — the tool
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. firm — decided
  21. bound — certain
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. drill — army training
  24. prune — to trim

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