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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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Word bank
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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: cap · stem · stick · mine · clip · present

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cap — of ice
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stem — to come from
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. present — a gift
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. clip — for paper
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — a hat
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — a video
  17. present — there
  18. mine — belonging to me

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