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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 116 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. clip — for paper
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. branch — a division
  8. rash — a series
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. clip — to cut
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. clip — a video
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. content — happy
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. content — the amount
  22. rash — hasty
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. snap — to click

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