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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a line of people
  4. court — of a king
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stem — to come from
  7. file — a tool
  8. club — a group
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. clip — for paper
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bear — the animal
  15. club — for dancing
  16. club — for golf
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bear — the animal
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. clip — a video
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. court — of law
  24. court — for sport

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