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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stock — goods
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. present — a gift
  6. rest — what's left
  7. clip — to cut
  8. roll — a list
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — there
  11. squash — to crush
  12. stock — shares
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. roll — a cake
  15. squash — the sport
  16. clip — a video
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. key — the most important part
  19. key — for a lock
  20. stem — to come from
  21. clip — for paper
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. rest — what's left
  24. key — in music

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