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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 · pound · bulb · mark · pop · leaves · track · pass

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. pop — to visit
  4. track — to keep track
  5. mark — a grade
  6. clip — a video
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. mark — a trace
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pound — a weight
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. track — a path
  18. pop — soda
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pop — music
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. clip — to cut
  24. track — a song

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