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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 smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. degree — temperature
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stem — to come from
  7. clip — for paper
  8. land — a country
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. clip — to cut
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. land — ground
  13. degree — an amount
  14. stand — to bear
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. land — to come down
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. clip — a video
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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