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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rest · net · racket · pop · rock · clip · leaves

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pop — soda
  3. clip — for paper
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — a break
  7. clip — a video
  8. net — in sport
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. prune — to trim
  11. net — after costs
  12. rest — what's left
  13. net — for catching
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pop — to visit
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pop — music
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — music

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