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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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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: court · key · stem · rash · clip · calf · stand · cue

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. court — of law
  3. clip — for paper
  4. stem — to come from
  5. rash — a series
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. rash — hasty
  8. stand — to bear
  9. cue — a signal
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. court — of a king
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. cue — a hint
  16. clip — a video
  17. cue — for pool
  18. court — for sport
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. key — in music
  24. calf — of the leg

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