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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: clip · firm · prune · rush · lean · deal · bat · pass

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. clip — a video
  3. prune — to trim
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — thin
  8. pass — a permit
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. lean — to bend
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rush — hurry
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. clip — for paper
  16. prune — to trim
  17. firm — decided
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. firm — steady
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bat — the animal

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