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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: clip · prune · key · saw · temple · pop · spell · land

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — magic
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. prune — to trim
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. pop — to visit
  8. saw — the tool
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. land — to come down
  11. key — in music
  12. spell — letters
  13. pop — music
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pop — soda
  18. prune — to trim
  19. key — for a lock
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. key — the most important part
  24. saw — the tool

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