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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. deal — to handle
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. shower — to wash
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. can — a tin
  12. key — for a lock
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. can — to be able to
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. key — in music
  17. can — a tin
  18. stem — to come from
  19. key — the most important part
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. shower — rain
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. deal — an agreement

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