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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. present — there
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. key — the most important part
  8. prune — to trim
  9. present — the time now
  10. mark — a grade
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. present — a gift
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. stock — shares
  16. clip — to cut
  17. band — a ring
  18. toast — bread
  19. mark — a trace
  20. clip — for paper
  21. stock — goods
  22. key — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. clip — a video

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