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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. clip — a video
  5. wound — an injury
  6. scale — in music
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. scale — size or range
  9. rest — a break
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. wound — an injury
  15. prune — to trim
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pitch — completely
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. rest — what's left
  21. chair — a leader
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. prune — to trim

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