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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. root — of a word
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stem — to come from
  8. mug — to rob
  9. clip — to cut
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. firm — steady
  14. mug — a cup
  15. clip — for paper
  16. firm — decided
  17. root — of a plant
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. root — the cause
  21. clip — a video
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. track — a path
  24. firm — a company

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