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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 120 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 · stick · racket · pit · can · clip · content · face

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pit — a hole
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. content — happy
  5. clip — to cut
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. face — to confront
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. can — a tin
  10. pit — in a race
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. can — to be able to
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — the amount
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. face — part of the head
  20. clip — a video
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. can — a tin
  23. face — to point toward
  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