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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. clip — for paper
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. saw — the tool
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. root — of a word
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. board — a committee
  13. pop — to visit
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pop — soda
  16. clip — a video
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stem — to come from
  19. plane — a tool
  20. clip — to cut
  21. board — to get on
  22. root — of a plant
  23. pop — music
  24. root — the cause

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