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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: bank · date · field · mark · straw · can · clip · prune

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mark — a grade
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bank — of a river
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. can — a tin
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. clip — to cut
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. date — the fruit
  14. clip — a video
  15. can — a tin
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bank — for money
  18. field — a subject
  19. prune — to trim
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. clip — for paper
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bank — for money
  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