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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 · prune · lean · nail · press · bat · bay · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — to push
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bat — the animal
  17. lean — thin
  18. press — a publisher
  19. snap — to click
  20. clip — to cut
  21. lean — to bend
  22. clip — a video
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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