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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 116 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. clip — to cut
  3. file — a document
  4. rush — hurry
  5. clip — for paper
  6. can — to be able to
  7. stem — to come from
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. band — a ring
  12. file — a tool
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. file — a line of people
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. can — a tin
  18. prune — to trim
  19. can — a tin
  20. band — a music group
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. clip — a video
  24. coach — a trainer

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