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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. clip — a video
  3. saw — the tool
  4. degree — an amount
  5. cue — a signal
  6. degree — temperature
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. root — the cause
  9. degree — from a university
  10. cue — a hint
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. root — of a word
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. cue — for pool
  15. root — of a plant
  16. clip — to cut
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. clip — for paper

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