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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: spell · prune · clip · bore · nail · track · mate · bass

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. clip — for paper
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — low music
  8. track — a path
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. spell — magic
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. spell — letters
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bore — to tire
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. prune — to trim
  19. spell — a short time
  20. mate — a friend
  21. clip — a video
  22. track — a song
  23. mate — to breed
  24. clip — to cut

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