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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 120 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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. staff — employees
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. stem — to come from
  6. staff — a stick
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. scale — in music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. tear — to rip
  14. wound — an injury
  15. clip — for paper
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. staff — employees
  18. tear — from crying
  19. stock — goods
  20. clip — to cut
  21. stock — shares
  22. tear — from crying
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. wound — an injury

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