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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. stem — to come from
  4. track — a song
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. clip — a video
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. club — a group
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wake — a trail
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. clip — to cut
  14. dip — to sink
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. track — a path
  22. club — for golf
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. nail — for a hammer

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