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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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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. net — after costs
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. net — in sport
  7. mug — to rob
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. clip — to cut
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mug — a cup
  13. net — for catching
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. clip — for paper
  17. stem — to come from
  18. mug — a face

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