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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. cell — in biology
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. clip — for paper
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. clip — to cut
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. rock — music
  13. cell — a phone
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. can — a tin
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. sharp — clever
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. rock — a stone
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stem — to come from

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