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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 120 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. stem — to come from
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. root — of a word
  5. tube — a container
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. object — to protest
  8. clip — a video
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. object — a thing
  12. root — the cause
  13. board — to get on
  14. tube — the underground
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. board — a committee
  17. clip — for paper
  18. root — of a plant
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. deal — to handle
  24. clip — to cut

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