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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. stem — to come from
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stock — shares
  9. can — a tin
  10. clip — to cut
  11. stock — goods
  12. saw — the tool
  13. can — to be able to
  14. saw — the tool
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stem — a stem cell

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