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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: stand · date · scale · mine · pound · spell · clip · stem

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. clip — to cut
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. clip — a video
  5. stem — to come from
  6. date — the fruit
  7. pound — a weight
  8. spell — magic
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. stand — to bear
  12. scale — in music
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — letters
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. scale — size or range
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. clip — for paper
  24. mine — an explosive

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