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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: roll · bay · staff · leaves · clip · pop · march · prune

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. roll — a list
  4. clip — for paper
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. prune — to trim
  8. staff — employees
  9. pop — music
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. march — music
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. march — the month
  16. prune — to trim
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. roll — a cake
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. pop — to visit
  22. march — the month
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. prune — the fruit

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