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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. clip — to cut
  3. object — a thing
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. present — there
  6. toast — bread
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. stem — to come from
  9. present — a gift
  10. object — to protest
  11. saw — the tool
  12. present — the time now
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. object — an aim
  15. pop — soda
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pop — music
  23. saw — the tool
  24. clip — a video

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