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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: track · pitcher · clip · mate · rash · bulb · prune · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rash — hasty
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. track — a path
  7. prune — to trim
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — to cut
  10. clip — a video
  11. mate — a friend
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. deal — to handle
  15. rash — a series
  16. track — a song
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. mate — to breed
  24. deal — an agreement

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