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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: stem · safe · wind · scale · clip · prune · lash · pop

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pop — soda
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pop — to visit
  8. clip — a video
  9. pop — music
  10. stem — to come from
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wind — moving air
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. clip — for paper
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. wind — moving air
  20. clip — to cut
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. prune — to trim
  24. scale — in music

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