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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: pit · clip · hand · saw · suit · calf · prune · firm

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. firm — a company
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. suit — to fit
  10. hand — in cards
  11. firm — decided
  12. hand — help
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — in a race
  16. suit — clothes
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. prune — to trim
  19. firm — steady
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. suit — in cards
  23. clip — to cut
  24. prune — to trim

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