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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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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 · date · prune · race · tear · arm · branch · lash

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. race — the arms race
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. tear — to rip
  7. clip — to cut
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. clip — a video
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. race — a contest
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. race — humankind
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. prune — to trim
  19. branch — a division
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. clip — for paper
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. arm — part of the body

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