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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. prune — to trim
  3. drill — a practice
  4. clip — a video
  5. face — part of the head
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. rock — music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. rock — a stone
  10. clip — to cut
  11. drill — army training
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. face — to confront
  14. drill — the tool
  15. tube — a container
  16. scale — size or range
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. tube — the underground
  21. face — to point toward
  22. lean — thin
  23. scale — in music
  24. lean — to bend

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