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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.

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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: bound · wound · saw · snap · cabinet · stem · clip · arm

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bound — certain
  4. clip — a video
  5. wound — an injury
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bound — tied together
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wound — an injury
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. saw — the tool
  16. clip — to cut
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bound — obliged
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. clip — for paper
  24. snap — to click

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