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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: can · rash · cap · clip · pit · ground · leaves · stem

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. can — a tin
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. stem — to come from
  5. cap — a lid
  6. ground — a position
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rash — a series
  9. cap — a hat
  10. pit — in a race
  11. clip — for paper
  12. ground — crushed
  13. rash — hasty
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. can — to be able to
  17. cap — of ice
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pit — a hole
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. can — a tin
  24. clip — a video

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