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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. spell — a short time
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. cue — a hint
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rush — hurry
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. spell — magic
  16. dip — to sink
  17. cue — for pool
  18. spell — letters
  19. cue — a signal
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. scale — size or range
  22. clip — to cut
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. clip — a video

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