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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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. clip — for paper
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. rock — music
  4. deal — to handle
  5. prune — to trim
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. current — electric
  9. prune — to trim
  10. clip — to cut
  11. current — of water
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. march — music
  16. clip — a video
  17. toast — bread
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. rock — a stone
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. current — happening now
  23. march — the month
  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