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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. stem — to come from
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. hand — in cards
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. hand — help
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. chip — for betting
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. clip — to cut
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. clip — for paper
  19. cue — a hint
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rush — hurry
  22. clip — a video
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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