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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: clip · nail · hide · pitch · trunk · prune · squash · temple

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. prune — to trim
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. clip — for paper
  16. pitch — completely
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. squash — the sport
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. squash — to crush
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. temple — side of the head

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