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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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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: bat · clip · jam · pass · prune · race · bay · bulb

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. prune — to trim
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. clip — a video
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. clip — for paper
  21. race — a contest
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. race — humankind
  24. bulb — for light

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