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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. clip — to cut
  3. chip — to eat
  4. clip — a video
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. lean — to bend
  8. stem — to come from
  9. last — to go on
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. chip — for betting
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wake — a trail
  14. fall — to drop
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — in cards
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. lean — thin
  20. suit — to fit
  21. clip — for paper
  22. fall — the season
  23. last — finally
  24. lean — to rest against

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