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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 124 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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. current — happening now
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stem — to come from
  11. clip — for paper
  12. ball — a dance
  13. current — electric
  14. ball — a great time
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. current — of water
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bark — to shout
  24. clip — a video

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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