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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 · cap · march · fine · pop · mug · trunk · lean

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. pop — soda
  3. clip — to cut
  4. cap — a lid
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. cap — a hat
  7. mug — to rob
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. pop — music
  10. march — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. cap — of ice
  13. fine — high quality
  14. mug — a face
  15. fine — all right
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. clip — for paper
  18. lean — to bend
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. march — the month
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. lean — thin
  23. mug — a cup
  24. march — the month

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