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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: clip · dip · patient · last · toast · stand · lean · prune

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. clip — for paper
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. lean — to bend
  5. prune — to trim
  6. last — final
  7. last — to go on
  8. clip — a video
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. dip — to sink
  11. lean — thin
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. stand — to bear
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. toast — bread
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. last — finally
  23. clip — to cut
  24. prune — to trim

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