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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 · stand · wound · bulb · bass · fan · mate · clip

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bass — low music
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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