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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. clip — to cut
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. fine — high quality
  9. row — a line
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bound — tied together
  12. fine — all right
  13. mug — a cup
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. mug — a face
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bound — certain
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. stem — a stem cell

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