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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 120 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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. chip — for betting
  3. clip — for paper
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. board — to get on
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. lean — thin
  10. clip — to cut
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. board — a committee
  13. deal — to handle
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. chip — to eat
  18. stem — to come from
  19. clip — a video
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. lean — to bend

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