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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: ground · wake · pound · mug · leaves · rush · mine · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. mug — a face
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pound — a weight
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. ground — the earth
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. mug — to rob
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. ground — a position
  20. mug — a cup
  21. ground — crushed
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. mine — for digging

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