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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. staff — employees
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. kid — to tease
  6. root — the cause
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. clip — to cut
  9. rest — a break
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. spell — a short time
  12. staff — employees
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. spell — magic
  16. staff — a stick
  17. rest — what's left
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. root — of a plant
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. root — of a word
  22. rest — what's left
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. spell — letters

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