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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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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 · hide · clip · lie · sharp · race · present · pound

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — a video
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. present — the time now
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. lie — to recline
  10. present — there
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. prune — to trim
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pound — a weight
  19. race — the arms race
  20. present — a gift
  21. prune — to trim
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — a contest
  24. pound — to hit hard

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