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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 116 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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. sharp — clever
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. clip — to cut
  6. net — for catching
  7. bear — the animal
  8. net — in sport
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bear — the animal
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. clip — for paper
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. net — after costs
  24. clip — a video

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