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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 124 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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. clip — for paper
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. stem — to come from
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. rash — a series
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pit — a hole
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. rash — hasty
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. clip — a video
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. rash — on the skin

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