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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. hand — in cards
  6. pound — a weight
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. cap — a hat
  9. clip — a video
  10. cap — a lid
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. club — for dancing
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. stem — to come from
  15. clip — for paper
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. rest — a break
  18. cap — of ice
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for golf
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — a series
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. hand — help

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