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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · chest · club · stem · safe · clip · cue · fan

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. club — a group
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. club — for golf
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cue — for pool
  9. club — for dancing
  10. clip — to cut
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. chest — of your body
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chest — a box
  15. stem — to come from
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. clip — a video
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cue — a hint
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. cue — a signal

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