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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: swing · mug · wake · stand · stem · bulb · clip · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. stem — to come from
  3. clip — a video
  4. land — a country
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. land — to come down
  7. clip — to cut
  8. stand — to bear
  9. swing — in golf
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — a face
  12. clip — for paper
  13. wake — a trail
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. swing — music
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. mug — to rob
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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