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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. can — a tin
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bore — to tire
  5. stem — to come from
  6. clip — for paper
  7. can — a tin
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bass — low music
  10. rest — what's left
  11. can — to be able to
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. clip — a video
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. rest — a break
  18. ground — a position
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — the fish
  21. clip — to cut
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bore — to drill
  24. mine — for digging

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