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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. tube — the underground
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. clip — to cut
  6. land — a country
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. land — to come down
  9. plane — a tool
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bound — tied together
  12. land — ground
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. clip — for paper
  15. tube — a container
  16. bound — certain
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. rash — a series
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. rash — hasty
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. clip — a video
  24. bound — obliged

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