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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 116 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: content · stem · prune · hide · clip · fan · plane · cell

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. prune — to trim
  6. plane — a tool
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cell — a phone
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. content — the amount
  11. cell — in biology
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — a video
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. content — happy
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. stem — to come from

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