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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: clip · bore · rock · pass · bay · row · wind · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. clip — a video
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. rock — music
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. wind — moving air
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a line
  12. bore — to tire
  13. clip — to cut
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bore — to drill
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. pass — a permit
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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