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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. clip — for paper
  4. stem — to come from
  5. current — electric
  6. stand — to bear
  7. root — of a plant
  8. kid — to tease
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. kid — child
  11. current — happening now
  12. root — the cause
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. root — of a word
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. pass — a permit
  18. dip — to sink
  19. current — of water
  20. clip — a video
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. clip — to cut
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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