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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 · pop · prune · object · bulb · firm · scale · mark

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. firm — a company
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. firm — decided
  6. firm — steady
  7. object — a thing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. clip — a video
  10. bulb — for light
  11. object — an aim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mark — a grade
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pop — music
  16. clip — to cut
  17. object — to protest
  18. scale — in music
  19. pop — soda
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pop — to visit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. mark — a trace

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