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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: track · wax · clip · fan · mate · mark · land · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. clip — a video
  3. land — ground
  4. prune — to trim
  5. clip — for paper
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mark — a trace
  10. clip — to cut
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mate — a partner
  14. wax — to grow
  15. land — to come down
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. land — a country
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. prune — to trim
  22. track — a song
  23. track — a path
  24. mark — a grade

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