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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: arm · clip · stem · mug · club · wound · leaves · rock

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rock — music
  4. mug — a cup
  5. clip — a video
  6. rock — a stone
  7. club — for dancing
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. stem — to come from
  14. club — a group
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. clip — for paper
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mug — a face
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. mug — to rob

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