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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. chest — a box
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. clip — to cut
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. mug — to rob
  8. lie — to recline
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. board — to get on
  12. clip — a video
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mug — a cup
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stem — to come from
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. board — a committee
  21. mug — a face
  22. clip — for paper
  23. chest — of your body
  24. roll — a list

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