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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 · clip · trunk · tube · stand · rest · pit · lie

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pit — in a race
  3. tube — a container
  4. lie — to recline
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. prune — to trim
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. stand — to bear
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rest — what's left
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. clip — for paper
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. pit — a hole
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. tube — the underground
  24. clip — a video

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