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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. track — a song
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. track — a path
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. prune — to trim
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. clip — for paper
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. clip — to cut
  24. prune — the fruit

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