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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  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. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. kid — to tease
  5. hand — help
  6. clip — a video
  7. kid — child
  8. clip — to cut
  9. track — to keep track
  10. suit — to fit
  11. hand — in cards
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. staff — a stick
  14. stem — to come from
  15. track — a path
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. suit — in cards
  18. staff — employees
  19. track — a song
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. staff — employees
  23. suit — clothes
  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