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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. suit — in cards
  3. row — a line
  4. bass — low music
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. clip — a video
  7. row — to paddle
  8. scale — in music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. clip — to cut
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. suit — clothes
  15. prune — to trim
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. clip — for paper
  18. suit — to fit
  19. scale — size or range
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. dip — to sink
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. rush — hurry
  24. bass — the fish

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