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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. degree — from a university
  3. clip — a video
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. rule — government
  6. bear — the animal
  7. clip — to cut
  8. suit — to fit
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. root — the cause
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bark — to shout
  14. degree — an amount
  15. rule — a law
  16. bear — the animal
  17. degree — temperature
  18. suit — in cards
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — of a word

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