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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
468
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: prune · bass · fork · board · clip · degree · tube · jam

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. bass — low music
  3. degree — from a university
  4. clip — to cut
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fork — in a road
  15. clip — for paper
  16. tube — the underground
  17. board — a committee
  18. tube — a container
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. board — to get on
  21. prune — to trim
  22. degree — an amount
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bass — the fish

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