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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. net — after costs
  5. mug — to rob
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mug — a cup
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — the time now
  12. net — in sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. pop — to visit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mug — a face
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pop — soda
  22. clip — a video
  23. pound — a weight
  24. present — there

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