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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. field — farmland
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. lean — to bend
  9. mark — a trace
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mark — a grade
  13. deal — to handle
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. lean — thin
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. clip — for paper
  19. stem — to come from
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bear — the animal

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