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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. clip — a video
  3. content — the amount
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. spring — of water
  7. prune — to trim
  8. content — happy
  9. clip — for paper
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. clip — to cut
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. spring — the season
  17. stand — to bear
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. ruler — for measuring

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