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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. net — for catching
  3. clip — a video
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rest — what's left
  6. spell — a short time
  7. tear — from crying
  8. clip — for paper
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. rest — what's left
  11. net — in sport
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. rest — a break
  14. stem — to come from
  15. net — after costs
  16. tear — to rip
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. chair — a leader
  19. spell — magic
  20. rush — hurry
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. tear — from crying

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