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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.

Make a worksheet

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: prune · net · bark · clip · pitcher · season · bay · rest

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. rest — what's left
  4. season — in sport
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. clip — to cut
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rest — a break
  11. prune — to trim
  12. net — for catching
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. net — in sport
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — a video
  24. net — after costs

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