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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: lie · root · prune · fine · deal · nail · tear · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. fine — all right
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. root — of a word
  5. lie — to recline
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. prune — to trim
  8. clip — for paper
  9. deal — to handle
  10. tear — to rip
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. root — of a plant
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fine — high quality
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. root — the cause
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — from crying
  23. clip — a video
  24. lie — an untruth

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