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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. prune — to trim
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. prune — to trim
  7. firm — a company
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. firm — steady
  10. spell — a short time
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. spell — magic
  15. firm — decided
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — a permit
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. clip — a video
  22. spell — letters
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. clip — to cut

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