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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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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: lie · pop · snap · perch · clip · march · prune · pass

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. clip — to cut
  4. prune — to trim
  5. clip — a video
  6. perch — the fish
  7. march — the month
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. prune — to trim
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pop — soda
  15. march — the month
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. pass — a permit
  19. clip — for paper
  20. pop — music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. lie — to recline

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