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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: row · clip · bark · wound · current · content · snap · prune

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. clip — to cut
  5. row — to paddle
  6. content — happy
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. prune — to trim
  11. current — happening now
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. prune — to trim
  14. clip — a video
  15. wound — an injury
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. content — the amount
  18. wound — an injury
  19. current — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. bark — to shout
  22. row — a line
  23. snap — to click
  24. clip — for paper

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