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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: prune · lash · firm · tear · season · board · plane · clip

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. clip — for paper
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. board — to get on
  6. firm — steady
  7. plane — a tool
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. board — a committee
  10. season — of the year
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. firm — a company
  13. prune — to trim
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. season — in sport
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. tear — to rip
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. clip — a video
  20. tear — from crying
  21. clip — to cut
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. tear — from crying
  24. firm — decided

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