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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: stem · net · ground · fine · kick · clip · file · arm

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. file — a line of people
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. ground — crushed
  5. file — a document
  6. clip — a video
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. fine — high quality
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. clip — to cut
  12. kick — in football
  13. clip — for paper
  14. net — after costs
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. ground — a position
  18. stem — to come from
  19. file — a tool
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. ground — the earth
  23. net — for catching
  24. fine — all right

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