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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. clip — for paper
  6. squash — the sport
  7. stock — goods
  8. sharp — clever
  9. root — of a word
  10. squash — to crush
  11. root — the cause
  12. band — a ring
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pass — a permit
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. clip — a video
  19. root — of a plant
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — shares
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. band — a music group
  24. squash — the vegetable

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