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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 116 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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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: staff · wave · root · capital · stem · clip · race · hide

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  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. clip — to cut
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. staff — employees
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. capital — money
  6. race — the arms race
  7. clip — a video
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. race — humankind
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. root — the cause
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. root — of a word
  16. race — a contest
  17. root — of a plant
  18. staff — a stick
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. staff — employees
  21. capital — a city
  22. stem — to come from
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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