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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wind — moving air
  4. clip — to cut
  5. can — a tin
  6. bound — tied together
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bound — obliged
  9. cap — a lid
  10. can — a tin
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. rock — music
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rock — a stone
  17. can — to be able to
  18. stem — to come from
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bound — certain
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — for paper
  24. cap — of ice

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