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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
468
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: kick · chair · coach · clip · track · prune · bark · hand

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. kick — in football
  3. clip — a video
  4. chair — a leader
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. hand — in cards
  8. track — a path
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bark — to shout
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. track — a song
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. prune — to trim
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. hand — help
  22. clip — for paper
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. track — to keep track

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