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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: prune · spell · march · clip · ruler · rush · track · bowl

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. track — a path
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. spell — magic
  9. prune — to trim
  10. march — music
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. march — the month
  13. rush — hurry
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — to cut
  16. march — the month
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — a short time
  23. track — a song
  24. rush — a thrill

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