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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · present · pop · clip · fork · suit

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. clip — a video
  3. tear — from crying
  4. present — the time now
  5. fork — in a road
  6. suit — in cards
  7. tear — to rip
  8. clip — to cut
  9. suit — clothes
  10. present — a gift
  11. suit — to fit
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pop — to visit
  14. clip — for paper
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. pop — soda
  17. present — there
  18. fork — to eat with

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