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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: stem · clip · chair · prune · bank · rash · shower · present

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — to wash
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bank — for money
  7. present — the time now
  8. rash — hasty
  9. present — there
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bank — for money
  14. chair — a leader
  15. rash — a series
  16. clip — a video
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. shower — rain
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bank — of a river
  21. prune — to trim
  22. clip — for paper
  23. present — a gift
  24. stem — to come from

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