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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  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. clip — to cut
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — letters
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. clip — for paper
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spell — magic
  18. prune — to trim
  19. foot — a measure
  20. clip — a video
  21. rest — a break
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. stem — to come from
  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