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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: ground · saw · foot · stem · clip · rest · mine · mark

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rest — a break
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. ground — the earth
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. mark — a grade
  9. clip — a video
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rest — what's left
  15. ground — a position
  16. mark — a trace
  17. foot — a measure
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. clip — to cut
  21. ground — crushed
  22. stem — to come from
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rest — what's left

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