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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 · spring · clip · bore · prune · bulb · rush · fine

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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. fine — all right
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. clip — for paper
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. clip — a video
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. lean — thin
  16. fine — high quality
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bulb — for light
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. rush — hurry
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. bore — to drill
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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