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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. mug — a cup
  4. fine — high quality
  5. clip — a video
  6. spring — a coil
  7. can — a tin
  8. spring — the season
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — for paper
  12. mug — a face
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. can — a tin
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a partner
  18. can — to be able to
  19. mate — a friend
  20. spring — of water
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. fine — all right
  24. mug — to rob

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