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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rash — a series
  7. clip — for paper
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. clip — to cut
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bulb — for light
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. stem — to come from
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. present — there
  19. present — the time now
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bulb — for light
  22. clip — a video
  23. foot — a measure
  24. present — a gift

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