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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. scale — in music
  4. stand — to bear
  5. clip — a video
  6. scale — size or range
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. board — to get on
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. clip — to cut
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. clip — for paper
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. board — a committee
  17. kid — child
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. net — after costs
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. kid — to tease
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. stand — on your feet

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