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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 · hide · clip · drill · mark · track · snap · racket

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. track — a song
  3. track — a path
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mark — a grade
  6. clip — a video
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. stem — to come from
  9. drill — army training
  10. snap — to click
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. clip — for paper
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. track — to keep track
  19. drill — the tool
  20. clip — to cut
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. mark — a trace
  24. stem — of a plant

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