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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 116 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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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: season · face · craft · clip · vault · prune · rest · stick

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. face — part of the head
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. rest — what's left
  8. face — to point toward
  9. clip — to cut
  10. craft — a skill
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rest — what's left
  14. season — of the year
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — a safe
  17. face — to confront
  18. rest — a break
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. clip — for paper
  21. craft — boats
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. season — in sport
  24. craft — a handicraft

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