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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bank — for money
  4. stem — to come from
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. chip — for betting
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. chip — to eat
  10. plane — a tool
  11. capital — money
  12. bank — of a river
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — to cut
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. capital — a city
  19. bank — for money
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. cue — for pool
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cue — a signal
  24. plane — an aircraft

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