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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — for paper
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. band — a ring
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. spring — the season
  9. plane — a tool
  10. clip — to cut
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. spring — of water
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. row — a line
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mark — a grade
  22. row — to paddle
  23. spring — a coil
  24. band — a music group

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