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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. tube — a container
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. ball — a dance
  6. clip — for paper
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. ball — a great time
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. clip — to cut
  11. board — to get on
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. swing — in golf
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. stem — to come from
  17. clip — a video
  18. tube — the underground
  19. swing — to play on
  20. board — a committee
  21. squash — the sport
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. squash — to crush
  24. swing — music

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