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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
468
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: clip · prune · pop · mug · stem · racket · toast · jam

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. clip — to cut
  5. mug — a face
  6. pop — soda
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. prune — to trim
  12. toast — bread
  13. clip — a video
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mug — to rob
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. stem — to come from
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. clip — for paper
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mug — a cup

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