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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 120 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: kick · capital · mouse · track · bore · leaves · stem · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bore — to drill
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. capital — a city
  12. track — a song
  13. bore — to tire
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. track — a path
  16. capital — money
  17. clip — a video
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. track — to keep track

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