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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: sharp · wound · fan · rush · tube · clip · prune · temple

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. tube — the underground
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — for paper
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. sharp — clever
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wound — an injury
  17. rush — hurry
  18. clip — a video
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. tube — a container
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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