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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: stem · clip · track · straw · march · nail · root · bear

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. clip — to cut
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. track — to keep track
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. track — a path
  9. track — a song
  10. march — the month
  11. clip — a video
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. stem — to come from
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. clip — for paper
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. march — music
  22. root — of a word
  23. march — the month
  24. root — the cause

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