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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. clip — for paper
  3. season — of the year
  4. saw — the tool
  5. club — for golf
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. present — a gift
  8. stem — to come from
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. clip — a video
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — there
  13. club — a group
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. stock — shares
  17. season — in sport
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. club — for dancing
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. stock — goods
  24. clip — to cut

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