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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. clip — a video
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. prune — to trim
  8. march — the month
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. cue — for pool
  11. wind — moving air
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. cue — a hint
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. cue — a signal
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. clip — for paper
  19. pit — in a race
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. pit — a hole
  23. clip — to cut
  24. march — the month

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