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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. fall — to drop
  3. clip — for paper
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. drill — army training
  7. fall — to drop
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. fine — high quality
  10. swing — in golf
  11. fall — the season
  12. fine — all right
  13. drill — the tool
  14. swing — music
  15. clip — a video
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. clip — to cut
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. swing — to play on
  24. drill — a practice

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