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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. clip — for paper
  3. wake — a trail
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. clip — a video
  6. shower — to wash
  7. current — happening now
  8. staff — employees
  9. current — of water
  10. staff — a stick
  11. clip — to cut
  12. shower — rain
  13. land — a country
  14. current — electric
  15. land — to come down
  16. mug — a cup
  17. land — ground
  18. staff — employees
  19. stem — to come from
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. mug — a face

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