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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. stem — to come from
  3. clip — a video
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. dip — to sink
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. clip — for paper
  10. current — electric
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. current — of water
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. deal — to handle
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. rock — a stone
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. clip — to cut
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. current — happening now

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