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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — to cut
  3. game — a match
  4. clip — a video
  5. drill — a practice
  6. game — wild animals
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. drill — the tool
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — the season
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pass — a permit
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stem — to come from
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. drill — army training
  21. rash — hasty
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. rash — a series
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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