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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. clip — to cut
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a lid
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. clip — for paper
  9. lean — thin
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cap — a hat
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. club — for golf
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. club — for dancing
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. club — a group
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. clip — a video
  23. lean — to bend
  24. stem — of a plant

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