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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: lean · leaves · can · prune · track · clip

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. lean — to bend
  3. track — to keep track
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. clip — to cut
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. track — a path
  8. can — a tin
  9. clip — a video
  10. prune — to trim
  11. track — a song
  12. lean — thin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. can — a tin
  16. clip — for paper
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay

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