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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cap — a lid
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. stem — to come from
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. clip — for paper
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. bark — to shout
  14. cap — a hat
  15. can — a tin
  16. rock — a stone
  17. cap — of ice
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. rock — music
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. clip — a video
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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