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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 124 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: clip · present · pit · lie · wave · stem · mark · branch

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. stem — to come from
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. present — there
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. mark — a trace
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. present — the time now
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. pit — a hole
  15. lie — to recline
  16. present — a gift
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pit — in a race
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. branch — a division
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. mark — a grade

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