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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. clip — a video
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. firm — a company
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. clip — for paper
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. firm — steady
  14. present — there
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. present — the time now
  17. firm — decided
  18. clip — to cut
  19. game — a match
  20. stem — to come from
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. wake — a trail
  24. stem — of a plant

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