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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. wind — moving air
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — certain
  7. clip — for paper
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bass — low music
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bass — the fish
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cue — a hint
  18. clip — a video
  19. wind — moving air
  20. stem — to come from
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bass — the instrument

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