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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pop — music
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. season — of the year
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. rest — what's left
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — to cut
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. pop — soda
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. stem — to come from
  20. rest — a break
  21. pop — to visit
  22. clip — a video
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. bowl — a football final

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