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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 120 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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. can — a tin
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. dip — to sink
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. clip — for paper
  16. last — finally
  17. last — to go on
  18. can — to be able to
  19. last — final
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. can — a tin
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wound — an injury

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