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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: fine · staff · clip · wound · prune · drill · suit · roll

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. wound — an injury
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fine — all right
  8. suit — in cards
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — army training
  11. wound — an injury
  12. suit — clothes
  13. fine — high quality
  14. clip — for paper
  15. drill — a practice
  16. roll — a cake
  17. staff — a stick
  18. roll — a list
  19. staff — employees
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. clip — to cut
  22. prune — to trim
  23. clip — a video
  24. staff — employees

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