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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.

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: land · clip · bass · ruler · mine · prune · pitcher · bound

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bound — certain
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bound — obliged
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. land — a country
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mine — for digging
  16. prune — to trim
  17. land — to come down
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. clip — for paper
  21. land — ground
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bass — low music

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