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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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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: prune · leaves · snap · bay · clip · wind · kick · firm

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. firm — a company
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. firm — decided
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. wind — moving air
  11. prune — to trim
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. prune — to trim
  14. snap — to click
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. firm — steady
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. clip — to cut
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. kick — in football
  23. clip — a video
  24. leaves — of a tree

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