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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: snap · ball · bear · spell · racket · prune · firm · clip

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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. snap — to snap out of it
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. firm — a company
  6. firm — steady
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. ball — a dance
  9. clip — for paper
  10. ball — a great time
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. clip — to cut
  14. snap — to click
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spell — letters
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. firm — decided
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. spell — magic
  22. clip — a video
  23. spell — a short time
  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