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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. clip — for paper
  3. net — in sport
  4. can — a tin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. plane — a tool
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. clip — a video
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. clip — to cut
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. net — after costs
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. can — to be able to
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. can — a tin
  19. net — for catching
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. calf — of the leg

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