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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: clip · content · bark · firm · net · leaves · mark · prune

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. mark — a trace
  4. clip — for paper
  5. mark — a grade
  6. prune — to trim
  7. clip — a video
  8. net — in sport
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. content — happy
  13. net — after costs
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. firm — a company
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. firm — decided
  19. content — the amount
  20. clip — to cut
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. net — for catching
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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