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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. pop — soda
  6. root — the cause
  7. pop — music
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. root — of a plant
  11. season — of the year
  12. pop — to visit
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bulb — for light
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. clip — a video
  18. bulb — for light
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. pound — a weight
  21. clip — to cut
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. season — to add flavour
  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