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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: clip · suit · bark · object · content · tear · prune · track

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. track — a path
  3. suit — to fit
  4. track — to keep track
  5. clip — to cut
  6. prune — to trim
  7. suit — clothes
  8. tear — to rip
  9. content — happy
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. track — a song
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. tear — from crying
  16. object — an aim
  17. bark — to shout
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — a thing
  21. clip — for paper
  22. content — the amount
  23. tear — from crying
  24. suit — in cards

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