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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. fine — all right
  4. clip — to cut
  5. stem — to come from
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bass — low music
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — size or range
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. fine — high quality
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bass — the fish
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. fork — in a road
  24. mouse — for a computer

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