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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. cold — an illness
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. cell — a phone
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. stem — to come from
  9. clip — a video
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. clip — to cut
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. season — in sport
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. season — of the year
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cold — not warm
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. clip — for paper

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