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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 120 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. lean — thin
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bass — low music
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bass — the fish
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pop — music
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pop — soda
  21. clip — to cut
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. lean — to bend
  24. craft — boats

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