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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 · season · ground · clip · plane · pass · bass · wake

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. pass — a permit
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. ground — the earth
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. ground — a position
  11. season — in sport
  12. plane — a tool
  13. bass — low music
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bass — the fish
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — to cut
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. season — of the year
  24. ground — crushed

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