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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: file · mouse · snap · stem · clip · track · last · tube

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — a video
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. tube — the underground
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. tube — a container
  9. last — finally
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. file — a line of people
  12. stem — to come from
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. file — a tool
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. track — a song
  17. track — to keep track
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. track — a path
  21. last — final
  22. clip — to cut
  23. file — a document
  24. last — to go on

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