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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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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. rest — what's left
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. rest — a break
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. clip — a video
  8. root — of a plant
  9. clip — to cut
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. drill — army training
  12. rest — what's left
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. drill — a practice
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. root — the cause
  17. clip — for paper
  18. root — of a word

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