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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: mark · wound · ball · spell · tube · shower · prune · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  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. clip — a video
  2. spell — magic
  3. mark — a trace
  4. wound — an injury
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. spell — letters
  10. clip — for paper
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — the underground
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a great time
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. ball — a dance
  21. spell — a short time
  22. wound — an injury
  23. prune — to trim
  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