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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.

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: ground · stem · mug · bass · cue · tear · toast · clip

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. cue — a hint
  3. ground — a position
  4. cue — for pool
  5. tear — from crying
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bass — low music
  8. clip — a video
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mug — a face
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — to rob
  14. cue — a signal
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bass — the fish
  19. ground — the earth
  20. toast — bread
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. tear — to rip
  24. ground — crushed

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