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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. band — a music group
  3. current — happening now
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rash — a series
  7. clip — for paper
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — size or range
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. wake — a trail
  13. scale — in music
  14. current — of water
  15. rest — what's left
  16. current — electric
  17. band — a ring
  18. stem — to come from
  19. rest — a break
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rest — what's left
  24. clip — to cut

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