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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: snap · clip · kid · wind · pass · mug · stem · bass

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. stem — to come from
  4. clip — for paper
  5. wind — moving air
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. kid — to tease
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. kid — child
  10. snap — to click
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. mug — a face
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bass — the fish
  16. clip — a video
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. clip — to cut
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. mug — a cup
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bass — low music

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