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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. stem — to come from
  3. clip — for paper
  4. swing — in golf
  5. object — a thing
  6. object — an aim
  7. spring — a coil
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mug — to rob
  12. board — to get on
  13. object — to protest
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. rash — a series
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — a face
  18. clip — to cut
  19. swing — music
  20. spring — of water
  21. swing — to play on
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. spring — the season
  24. board — a committee

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