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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: prune · clip · lean · rash · bulb · pop · saw · march

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. clip — a video
  3. saw — the tool
  4. march — the month
  5. pop — to visit
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. rash — a series
  9. bulb — for light
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. lean — thin
  13. bulb — for light
  14. prune — to trim
  15. clip — to cut
  16. prune — to trim
  17. lean — to bend
  18. rash — hasty
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. saw — the tool
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — music
  24. clip — for paper

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