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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. cue — a signal
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. current — happening now
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. root — of a plant
  10. cue — a hint
  11. fine — all right
  12. clip — for paper
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. clip — a video
  15. saw — the tool
  16. root — of a word
  17. cue — for pool
  18. stem — to come from
  19. current — of water
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. clip — to cut
  22. current — electric
  23. root — the cause
  24. fine — high quality

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