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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: prune · season · drill · pitcher · charge · arm · kick · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. season — of the year
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. clip — to cut
  7. charge — in control
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. season — in sport
  12. kick — in football
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. drill — army training
  15. clip — a video
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. charge — a price
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — the tool
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. charge — electricity
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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