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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: spring · prune · season · tear · suit · clip · bank · lie

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bank — for money
  4. suit — in cards
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. suit — to fit
  7. clip — a video
  8. season — in sport
  9. tear — from crying
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. clip — for paper
  12. prune — to trim
  13. clip — to cut
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. bank — for money
  17. spring — a coil
  18. tear — from crying
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. prune — to trim
  21. lie — to recline
  22. suit — clothes
  23. bank — of a river
  24. season — of the year

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