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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: scale · lie · toast · clip · racket · pop · prune · bound

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. clip — for paper
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pop — to visit
  5. clip — to cut
  6. toast — bread
  7. scale — in music
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bound — tied together
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. scale — size or range
  13. pop — music
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bound — certain
  16. prune — to trim
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bound — obliged
  23. clip — a video
  24. scale — for weighing

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