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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. clip — to cut
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. clip — for paper
  6. kick — in football
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. stem — to come from
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. tube — the underground
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. tube — a container
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — in a race
  21. plane — a tool
  22. clip — a video
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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