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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. can — a tin
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — a price
  8. clip — for paper
  9. can — a tin
  10. stem — to come from
  11. clip — a video
  12. wind — moving air
  13. can — to be able to
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — a trail
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wind — moving air
  18. spring — of water
  19. clip — to cut
  20. charge — in control
  21. lie — to recline
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wake — before a funeral

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