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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. can — a tin
  3. root — the cause
  4. can — to be able to
  5. clip — to cut
  6. root — of a plant
  7. ground — the earth
  8. chest — of your body
  9. can — a tin
  10. chest — a box
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. ground — crushed
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — thin
  17. root — of a word
  18. ground — a position

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