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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: lash · prune · file · bulb · present · patient · rest · clip

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. clip — a video
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. present — there
  5. present — a gift
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. file — a document
  10. rest — what's left
  11. file — a line of people
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bulb — for light
  14. present — the time now
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. clip — for paper
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. clip — to cut
  20. bulb — for light
  21. file — a tool
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. prune — to trim
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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