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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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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: leaves · stem · charge · clip · rush · last · perch · swing

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stem — to come from
  4. swing — in golf
  5. last — final
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. clip — a video
  8. last — finally
  9. charge — in control
  10. swing — to play on
  11. charge — electricity
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. rush — hurry
  14. clip — for paper
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. charge — a price
  21. perch — the fish
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. clip — to cut
  24. swing — music

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