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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 116 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: spring · ground · firm · clip · bound · lash · prune · stock

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. firm — steady
  3. clip — a video
  4. ground — the earth
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stock — goods
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bound — certain
  9. spring — of water
  10. stock — shares
  11. spring — the season
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bound — obliged
  14. firm — decided
  15. ground — a position
  16. spring — a coil
  17. firm — a company
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bound — tied together
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. clip — to cut
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. prune — the fruit

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