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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
468
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: dip · stem · mark · perch · staff · cue · land · clip

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. clip — a video
  3. perch — the fish
  4. staff — a stick
  5. land — a country
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. staff — employees
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cue — a signal
  12. clip — to cut
  13. land — ground
  14. clip — for paper
  15. staff — employees
  16. mark — a grade
  17. cue — a hint
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. cue — for pool
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. dip — to sink
  24. stem — a stem cell

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