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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.

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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: clip · pit · prune · file · rush · bass · content · wind

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. pit — in a race
  3. prune — to trim
  4. clip — a video
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. content — happy
  7. pit — a hole
  8. rush — hurry
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. file — a line of people
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bass — low music
  18. content — the amount
  19. file — a tool
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bass — the fish
  24. wind — moving air

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