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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. clip — to cut
  4. spell — magic
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. spell — a short time
  7. clip — a video
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. track — to keep track
  10. root — of a word
  11. lean — to bend
  12. bass — the fish
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. stem — to come from
  16. track — a path
  17. track — a song
  18. bass — low music
  19. sharp — clever
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a plant
  22. spell — letters
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. lean — thin

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