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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 116 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 · chair · track · bear · spring · lash · mark · clip

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. track — a song
  3. spring — of water
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. clip — to cut
  12. prune — to trim
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a leader
  15. spring — the season
  16. bear — the animal
  17. prune — to trim
  18. track — to keep track
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mark — a trace
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. bear — the animal
  24. track — a path

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