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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. prune — to trim
  3. track — a path
  4. rest — what's left
  5. file — a tool
  6. clip — to cut
  7. track — a song
  8. suit — clothes
  9. track — to keep track
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. suit — to fit
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. file — a line of people
  16. suit — in cards
  17. clip — for paper
  18. tube — the underground
  19. file — a document
  20. clip — a video
  21. rest — what's left
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — to handle
  24. tube — a container

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