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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. prune — to trim
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — tied together
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bound — certain
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. stock — goods
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — a video
  13. mark — a grade
  14. clip — for paper
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. stock — shares
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. mark — a trace
  19. tube — the underground
  20. prune — to trim
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. tube — a container
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. arm — part of the body

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