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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. clip — to cut
  4. spell — magic
  5. mark — a grade
  6. rule — a law
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. charge — in control
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. charge — a price
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. clip — a video
  15. mark — a trace
  16. spell — a short time
  17. clip — for paper
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. charge — electricity
  21. spell — letters
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. rule — government
  24. stem — to come from

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