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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: sharp · clip · staff · lean · branch · bore · chest · prune

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bore — to tire
  4. staff — employees
  5. prune — to trim
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bore — to drill
  8. staff — employees
  9. clip — for paper
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. lean — thin
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. chest — a box
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. chest — of your body
  18. sharp — clever
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. chest — of your body
  22. branch — a division
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. staff — a stick

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