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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 · bank · stem · current · court · cap · object · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. object — to protest
  3. cap — of ice
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. current — of water
  6. cap — a hat
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. court — of a king
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. court — of law
  11. bank — of a river
  12. stem — to come from
  13. prune — to trim
  14. court — for sport
  15. clip — to cut
  16. object — an aim
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bank — for money
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — electric
  21. clip — a video
  22. object — a thing
  23. clip — for paper
  24. bank — for money

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