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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 116 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. pop — music
  6. club — for golf
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. club — for dancing
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. pop — soda
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pop — to visit
  19. wound — an injury
  20. club — a group
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pound — a weight
  24. wound — an injury

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