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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bank — for money
  5. ball — a dance
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bank — for money
  10. stem — to come from
  11. lean — thin
  12. clip — to cut
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to click
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bank — of a river
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lean — to bend
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. clip — a video
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lean — to rest against

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