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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 120 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: mug · stock · leaves · fan · prune · clip · capital · fine

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  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. clip — a video
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. mug — to rob
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. prune — to trim
  11. capital — a city
  12. mug — a cup
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. capital — money
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. mug — a face
  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