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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. clip — for paper
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. present — the time now
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. row — to paddle
  7. clip — to cut
  8. present — there
  9. march — music
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. row — a line
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. march — the month
  18. present — a gift
  19. clip — a video
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — a weight
  22. march — the month
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. coach — a trainer

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