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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: prune · swing · rule · bark · stand · snap · clip · press

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. prune — to trim
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — newspapers
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. snap — to click
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. rule — government
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. swing — to play on
  16. clip — a video
  17. bark — to shout
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. stand — to bear
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. press — to push
  22. prune — to trim
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. clip — for paper

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