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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. root — of a word
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. root — of a plant
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a dance
  10. root — the cause
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. clip — a video
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. branch — a division
  17. pound — a weight
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. ball — a great time
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — to confront
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. racket — a loud noise

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