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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 116 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: clip · lash · degree · chip · stem · mark · lean · patient

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. mark — a grade
  7. lean — to bend
  8. clip — a video
  9. degree — from a university
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. lean — thin
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — for betting
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. stem — to come from
  19. degree — an amount
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. degree — temperature
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a trace

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