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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — for paper
  3. cue — for pool
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stem — to come from
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spring — a coil
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. track — to keep track
  10. cue — a signal
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. spring — of water
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. prune — to trim
  19. clip — a video
  20. cue — a hint
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. spring — the season
  24. stem — a stem cell

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