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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. clip — for paper
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stem — to come from
  5. wound — an injury
  6. clip — a video
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — shares
  10. bulb — for light
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. wound — an injury
  15. clip — to cut
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cue — a signal
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. cue — for pool
  22. perch — the fish
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. perch — for a bird

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