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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: clip · bay · trunk · plane · last · pitcher · prune · bat

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. clip — for paper
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. last — to go on
  6. clip — to cut
  7. last — final
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. clip — a video
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. last — finally
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. plane — a 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