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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. clip — a video
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. pop — music
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. rash — hasty
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. pop — soda
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pop — to visit
  16. stem — to come from
  17. clip — to cut
  18. stock — shares
  19. rash — a series
  20. clip — for paper
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. stock — goods

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