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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 116 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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. band — a ring
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pass — a permit
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. current — happening now
  10. shower — rain
  11. clip — for paper
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bark — to shout
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. band — a music group
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. shower — to wash
  18. clip — to cut
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. current — electric
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. current — of water

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