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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: present · prune · season · stock · tube · clip · firm · patient

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. present — the time now
  3. tube — a container
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. prune — to trim
  7. season — of the year
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. present — a gift
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. season — in sport
  14. tube — the underground
  15. firm — decided
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. present — there
  18. stock — goods
  19. firm — a company
  20. firm — steady
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. prune — to trim
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

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