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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. clip — for paper
  4. content — happy
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. chair — a leader
  7. clip — to cut
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. firm — a company
  12. wake — a trail
  13. saw — the tool
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. firm — steady
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. firm — decided
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. stem — to come from
  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