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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  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. stem — of a plant
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — music
  4. present — there
  5. clip — for paper
  6. mine — for digging
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — to come from
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — the cause
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. present — the time now
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. clip — to cut
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. present — a gift
  23. root — of a word
  24. clip — a video

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