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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. clip — a video
  4. suit — to fit
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. chair — a leader
  7. present — there
  8. clip — to cut
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. mark — a grade
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. present — the time now
  15. clip — for paper
  16. suit — clothes
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. mark — a trace
  19. stem — to come from
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. rash — a series
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. present — a gift
  24. suit — in cards

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