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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 120 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.

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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: cell · straw · kick · ruler · pass · stem · current · clip

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. kick — in football
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — a permit
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. clip — to cut
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. clip — a video
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. clip — for paper
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. cell — in biology
  20. current — electric
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cell — a phone
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. straw — dry grass

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