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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bear — the animal
  4. track — a path
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. track — a song
  7. stem — to come from
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bear — the animal
  10. clip — a video
  11. stock — goods
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stock — shares
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. ruler — for measuring

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