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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: kid · trunk · clip · hide · ruler · season · prune · wave

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. season — in sport
  5. clip — to cut
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. kid — child
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. clip — for paper
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. season — of the year
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. clip — a video
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. prune — to trim
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. kid — to tease

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