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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. season — of the year
  4. suit — in cards
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. clip — for paper
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. suit — to fit
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. degree — temperature
  16. suit — clothes
  17. stem — to come from
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. degree — an amount
  20. clip — a video
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. clip — to cut
  23. season — in sport
  24. degree — from a university

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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