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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 120 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: net · prune · scale · hand · fan · season · rush · clip

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. net — for catching
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. hand — in cards
  8. prune — to trim
  9. season — of the year
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. net — in sport
  13. rush — hurry
  14. clip — a video
  15. net — after costs
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. scale — in music
  18. clip — to cut
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. hand — help
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. clip — for paper
  24. season — in sport

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