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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: stand · rash · tube · prune · rule · wound · pass · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rash — hasty
  3. wound — an injury
  4. clip — to cut
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wound — an injury
  7. tube — a container
  8. pass — a permit
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — to bear
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rash — a series
  17. clip — a video
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. rule — a law
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. rule — government
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. rash — on the skin

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