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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. clip — a video
  4. race — a contest
  5. stem — to come from
  6. tube — a container
  7. race — humankind
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. tube — the underground
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. clip — for paper
  13. object — an aim
  14. race — the arms race
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. object — to protest
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. game — a match
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. clip — to cut
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — wild animals
  24. nail — for a hammer

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