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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: clip · plane · roll · prune · fork · pit · band · lie

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. roll — a cake
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. band — a ring
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pit — in a race
  8. clip — for paper
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. clip — to cut
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a music group
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. roll — a list
  16. lie — to recline
  17. fork — in a road
  18. clip — a video
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. prune — to trim
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pit — a hole
  24. plane — a tool

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