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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. prune — to trim
  3. clip — to cut
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. face — to point toward
  6. clip — for paper
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. tube — a container
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. craft — a skill
  11. tube — the underground
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rash — hasty
  18. craft — boats
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — to get on
  22. rash — a series
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. face — to confront

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