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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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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: press · sharp · mate · stem · capital · mouse · clip · board

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mate — a partner
  5. clip — a video
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. board — to get on
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. press — to push
  11. capital — a city
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. clip — for paper
  15. capital — money
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. board — a committee
  20. mate — to breed
  21. stem — to come from
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — a publisher
  24. mate — a friend

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