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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — there
  3. stock — goods
  4. spell — magic
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. present — a gift
  8. clip — for paper
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. track — a song
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. spell — letters
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. spell — a short time
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. stock — shares
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. track — a path
  21. clip — a video
  22. track — to keep track
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stem — to come from

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