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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: clip · fine · prune · mark · track · stem · bound · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. prune — to trim
  3. clip — a video
  4. mark — a trace
  5. track — a path
  6. stem — to come from
  7. clip — for paper
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — a trail
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bound — obliged
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. track — a song
  16. fine — all right
  17. clip — to cut
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. mark — a grade
  21. fine — high quality
  22. bound — tied together
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bound — certain

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