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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bank — of a river
  4. spring — a coil
  5. court — for sport
  6. clip — to cut
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bank — for money
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bark — to shout
  15. clip — a video
  16. spring — of water
  17. court — of law
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bank — for money
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. court — of a king
  22. spring — the season
  23. plane — a tool
  24. clip — for paper

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