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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.

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: season · firm · straw · object · fan · kid · clip · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. object — to protest
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — decided
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. firm — a company
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. prune — to trim
  13. object — a thing
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. kid — to tease
  16. clip — to cut
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. object — an aim
  19. kid — child
  20. season — of the year
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. clip — a video
  23. prune — to trim
  24. clip — for paper

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