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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 · content · snap · deal · prune · coach · board · stem

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. clip — to cut
  4. board — a committee
  5. content — the amount
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. board — to get on
  10. snap — to click
  11. deal — to handle
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. content — happy
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. clip — for paper
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. clip — a video
  22. prune — to trim
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. content — videos and posts

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