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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: season · lean · mate · clip · prune · pit · bore · fall

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. lean — thin
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — to cut
  6. prune — to trim
  7. season — in sport
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fall — the season
  10. pit — a hole
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a partner
  16. season — of the year
  17. pit — in a race
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — to drill
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mate — a friend
  24. lean — to bend

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