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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 · mark · arm · hide · content · perch · rock

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. content — happy
  5. prune — to trim
  6. clip — for paper
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. clip — a video
  9. content — the amount
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a grade
  14. rock — a stone
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. rock — music
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. clip — to cut
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. mark — a trace
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. perch — the fish

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