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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: clip · fine · root · snap · land · can · court · stem

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. root — of a word
  3. can — a tin
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. clip — for paper
  6. land — ground
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. court — of a king
  9. snap — to click
  10. clip — to cut
  11. root — of a plant
  12. can — to be able to
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. fine — all right
  15. court — of law
  16. land — to come down
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. court — for sport
  19. root — the cause
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. land — a country
  22. stem — to come from
  23. fine — high quality
  24. can — a tin

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