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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. firm — steady
  5. clip — for paper
  6. swing — to play on
  7. clip — to cut
  8. firm — a company
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stem — to come from
  12. swing — music
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. clip — a video
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. firm — decided
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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