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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: prune · clip · row · snap · bound · perch · plane · game

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. clip — to cut
  3. row — to paddle
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. bound — obliged
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bound — certain
  8. clip — a video
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. game — wild animals
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. snap — to click
  13. plane — a tool
  14. bound — tied together
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — a match
  17. row — a line
  18. prune — to trim
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. clip — for paper
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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