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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. net — for catching
  5. clip — to cut
  6. root — of a word
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. root — the cause
  9. stem — to come from
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. plane — a tool
  12. ground — the earth
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. clip — a video
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. ground — a position
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. root — of a plant
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. clip — for paper
  24. ruler — for measuring

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