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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bulb · band · prune · root · pass · file · track

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. track — a path
  3. clip — for paper
  4. root — of a word
  5. bulb — for light
  6. track — a song
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pass — a permit
  10. clip — to cut
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. track — to keep track
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. clip — a video
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. file — a document
  17. root — the cause
  18. file — a line of people
  19. prune — to trim
  20. root — of a plant
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. file — a tool
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a ring

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