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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
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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 · suit · last · safe · face · clip · hand · tear

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. hand — in cards
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. face — part of the head
  8. last — final
  9. face — to point toward
  10. suit — to fit
  11. clip — to cut
  12. suit — clothes
  13. last — finally
  14. tear — from crying
  15. suit — in cards
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. clip — a video
  19. last — to go on
  20. clip — for paper
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. face — to confront
  24. prune — to trim

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