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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: chair · mate · clip · stem · calf · net · rush · pound

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. clip — a video
  3. mate — a friend
  4. net — after costs
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. clip — to cut
  7. net — for catching
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. net — in sport
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. pound — a weight
  16. rush — hurry
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — a leader
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. clip — for paper

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