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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. clip — to cut
  3. roll — a cake
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. board — to get on
  8. root — of a plant
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. clip — for paper
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. roll — a list
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. root — the cause
  18. board — a committee
  19. root — of a word
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — a trail

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