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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 120 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. club — for dancing
  3. cap — a lid
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. stem — to come from
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. clip — a video
  10. cap — of ice
  11. clip — for paper
  12. club — for golf
  13. scale — in music
  14. present — there
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. cap — a hat
  18. tube — a container
  19. present — the time now
  20. clip — to cut
  21. present — a gift
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. rash — a series
  24. club — a group

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