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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
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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: plane · hand · prune · lash · clip · mate · coach · mark

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mark — a trace
  4. clip — to cut
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mate — to breed
  7. clip — a video
  8. mark — a grade
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. hand — in cards
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. clip — for paper
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mate — a partner
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. prune — to trim
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — a tool
  22. prune — to trim
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. prune — the fruit

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