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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.

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: clip · mouse · prune · present · march · scale · stem · root

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — to come from
  4. root — the cause
  5. scale — size or range
  6. march — music
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. clip — a video
  9. present — there
  10. prune — to trim
  11. scale — in music
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. present — the time now
  14. march — the month
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. clip — to cut
  21. prune — to trim
  22. march — the month
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. present — a gift

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