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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: clip · last · bark · suit · bay · mark · stem · mine

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. stem — to come from
  3. clip — a video
  4. last — final
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. suit — clothes
  7. bark — to shout
  8. suit — to fit
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. clip — to cut
  17. last — finally
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. last — to go on
  20. clip — for paper
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. mine — for digging
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. suit — in cards

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