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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. clip — a video
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. stem — to come from
  10. wake — a trail
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wind — moving air
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — to sink
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. dip — a sauce

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