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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
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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: rock · file · toast · clip · rule · stem · ball · spring

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. rule — government
  3. clip — for paper
  4. toast — bread
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. file — a document
  7. rock — music
  8. file — a tool
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. clip — a video
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. ball — a dance
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. stem — to come from
  16. ball — a great time
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. spring — of water
  21. rule — a law
  22. rock — a stone
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — a coil

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