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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. rush — hurry
  4. root — the cause
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. clip — a video
  9. root — of a plant
  10. clip — for paper
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — letters
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stock — goods
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. stand — to bear
  20. root — of a word
  21. stock — shares
  22. spell — magic
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. cell — in biology

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