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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: dip · squash · suit · ground · clip · stem · straw · pit

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. suit — in cards
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. clip — to cut
  5. ground — crushed
  6. suit — to fit
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. squash — the sport
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a hole
  11. ground — the earth
  12. suit — clothes
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. stem — to come from
  18. clip — a video
  19. ground — a position
  20. clip — for paper
  21. dip — to sink
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. stem — a stem cell

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