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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: present · coach · stem · pass · clip · rule

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. 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. rule — a law
  2. pass — a permit
  3. clip — for paper
  4. present — the time now
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. present — there
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. present — a gift
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. clip — a video
  15. stem — to come from
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. 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