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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. rock — music
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. clip — to cut
  5. clip — for paper
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. prune — to trim
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. track — to keep track
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. deal — to handle
  13. rock — a stone
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. track — a song
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. prune — to trim
  23. track — a path
  24. trunk — of a tree

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