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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: cabinet · stem · fine · stick · mouse · clip · degree · hand

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. hand — in cards
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. clip — to cut
  9. fine — all right
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stem — to come from
  13. fine — high quality
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. degree — an amount
  16. clip — a video
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. degree — temperature
  19. clip — for paper
  20. hand — help
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. degree — from a university

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