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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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Word bank
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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. chest — of your body
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. clip — to cut
  6. season — in sport
  7. chest — a box
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — a video
  12. season — of the year
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. kick — in football
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. perch — the fish
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stem — to come from

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