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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.

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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 · wound · ruler · patient · wake · ground · kid · clip

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. prune — to trim
  3. clip — for paper
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wound — an injury
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ground — a position
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wound — an injury
  13. clip — to cut
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ground — the earth
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — to tease
  23. ground — crushed
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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