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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. land — ground
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — of water
  8. current — electric
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. degree — from a university
  17. land — a country
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. track — to keep track
  20. land — to come down
  21. track — a song
  22. clip — for paper
  23. degree — temperature
  24. track — a path

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