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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 116 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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. band — a music group
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. staff — employees
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. staff — a stick
  10. root — of a plant
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — for paper
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. staff — employees
  16. root — of a word
  17. band — a ring
  18. clip — to cut

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