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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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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: tube · squash · toast · wave · last · clip · stem · pound

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. clip — a video
  6. last — to go on
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. last — finally
  10. pound — a weight
  11. last — final
  12. tube — a container
  13. toast — bread
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. stem — to come from
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. squash — to crush
  22. clip — for paper
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wave — with your hand

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