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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. clip — a video
  4. sharp — clever
  5. cap — of ice
  6. degree — temperature
  7. clip — to cut
  8. degree — an amount
  9. craft — a skill
  10. cap — a hat
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. cap — a lid
  13. craft — boats
  14. track — a path
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. clip — for paper
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. track — to keep track
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. degree — from a university
  23. stem — to come from
  24. track — a song

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