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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: prune · fine · clip · foot · net · land · bark · vault

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. net — in sport
  5. clip — to cut
  6. land — ground
  7. net — for catching
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. vault — a safe
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. clip — for paper
  13. fine — high quality
  14. bark — to shout
  15. land — a country
  16. fine — all right
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. foot — a measure
  21. net — after costs
  22. land — to come down
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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