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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: row · date · lie · deal · clip · sharp · racket · stem

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. clip — for paper
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. clip — a video
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. sharp — clever
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — to handle
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. row — a line
  17. stem — to come from
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. clip — to cut
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. date — the fruit
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. stem — a stem cell

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