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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. clip — for paper
  3. staff — employees
  4. pop — to visit
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. staff — a stick
  7. pop — music
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. clip — to cut
  11. lean — to bend
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. season — of the year
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. season — in sport
  16. stem — to come from
  17. pop — soda
  18. staff — employees
  19. rest — a break
  20. clip — a video
  21. rest — what's left
  22. lean — thin
  23. rest — what's left
  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