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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: lie · cap · pop · saw · firm · march · stem · clip

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. stem — to come from
  4. lie — to recline
  5. pop — music
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. clip — a video
  8. pop — soda
  9. saw — the tool
  10. firm — decided
  11. clip — to cut
  12. cap — a hat
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cap — of ice
  16. march — music
  17. cap — a lid
  18. pop — to visit
  19. firm — a company
  20. firm — steady
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. clip — for paper

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