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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. clip — a video
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. stem — to come from
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. saw — the tool
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. file — a line of people
  14. clip — for paper
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. clip — to cut
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lean — thin

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