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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 116 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: fine · scale · prune · firm · lean · press · fall · clip

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. clip — a video
  3. prune — to trim
  4. firm — decided
  5. scale — size or range
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. fine — all right
  9. firm — steady
  10. scale — in music
  11. fall — the season
  12. clip — to cut
  13. lean — to bend
  14. press — newspapers
  15. clip — for paper
  16. press — to push
  17. fall — to drop
  18. lean — thin
  19. press — a publisher
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — high quality
  22. firm — a company
  23. fall — to drop
  24. scale — for weighing

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