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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 124 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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. dip — to sink
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. suit — in cards
  5. mate — a partner
  6. clip — for paper
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — to tease
  10. field — farmland
  11. suit — clothes
  12. stem — to come from
  13. clip — to cut
  14. mate — to breed
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. clip — a video
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. mate — a friend
  24. suit — to fit

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