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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: wave · saw · bat · deal · net · cue · stem · clip

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. clip — for paper
  3. saw — the tool
  4. net — for catching
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. cue — a signal
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. cue — a hint
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bat — the animal
  15. deal — to handle
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. cue — for pool
  18. clip — a video
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. clip — to cut
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wave — with your hand

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