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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. rash — hasty
  3. stem — to come from
  4. swing — to play on
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — to cut
  8. saw — the tool
  9. swing — in golf
  10. rash — a series
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. charge — a price
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. charge — in control
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bark — to shout
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. swing — music

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