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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.

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: firm · clip · pitch · game · lash · bear · prune · spring

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. firm — decided
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. prune — to trim
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. spring — the season
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. spring — of water
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. firm — steady
  16. clip — for paper
  17. game — a match
  18. game — wild animals
  19. spring — a coil
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. firm — a company
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pitch — completely
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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