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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: press · scale · clip · date · stem · wound · wake · bound

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. clip — a video
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. scale — size or range
  6. clip — to cut
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bound — obliged
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. press — a publisher
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — tied together
  16. scale — in music
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stem — to come from
  21. wound — an injury
  22. clip — for paper
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. press — to push

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