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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. mark — a trace
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. clip — for paper
  6. lean — thin
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. root — of a word
  9. clip — to cut
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. clip — a video
  12. hand — help
  13. root — of a plant
  14. mark — a grade
  15. root — the cause
  16. rush — hurry
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. hand — in cards

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