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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: sharp · stand · clip · scale · mate · prune · pop · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. clip — to cut
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. mate — a partner
  8. scale — size or range
  9. prune — to trim
  10. toast — bread
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. mate — to breed
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. stand — to bear
  16. sharp — clever
  17. prune — to trim
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pop — music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. scale — in music
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. mate — a friend

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