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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. clip — to cut
  3. mark — a trace
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — a series
  12. clip — a video
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. clip — for paper
  18. band — a music group
  19. mark — a grade
  20. tube — the underground
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a ring
  23. tube — a container
  24. stem — a stem cell

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