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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. march — the month
  3. stem — to come from
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. rock — music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. clip — to cut
  10. plane — a tool
  11. rock — a stone
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. clip — a video
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. clip — for paper
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. march — music
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. march — the month
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. wound — an injury
  24. snap — to click

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