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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 120 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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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: mark · snap · net · clip · bay · rock · degree · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. degree — temperature
  4. mark — a trace
  5. prune — to trim
  6. clip — a video
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. rock — a stone
  9. degree — from a university
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. net — in sport
  12. degree — an amount
  13. clip — to cut
  14. mark — a grade
  15. net — for catching
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. clip — for paper
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. rock — music
  22. snap — to click
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. net — after costs

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