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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 116 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: last · fine · clip · mark · stem · key · rock · mine

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rock — a stone
  3. mark — a grade
  4. clip — for paper
  5. fine — high quality
  6. rock — music
  7. last — finally
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mark — a trace
  13. clip — a video
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. last — to go on
  16. key — for a lock
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. stem — to come from
  19. clip — to cut
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. key — the most important part
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mine — for digging
  24. key — in 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