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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. clip — a video
  5. season — of the year
  6. rock — music
  7. season — in sport
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. last — to go on
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. perch — the fish
  14. branch — a division
  15. clip — to cut
  16. last — finally
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. last — final
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stem — to come from
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. hide — to keep secret

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