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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. swing — music
  4. cell — in biology
  5. clip — to cut
  6. can — a tin
  7. cell — a phone
  8. swing — in golf
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bore — to tire
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. swing — to play on
  13. clip — a video
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wind — moving air
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wind — moving air
  19. snap — to click
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. can — a tin

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