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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 116 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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. season — in sport
  3. root — of a plant
  4. swing — in golf
  5. root — the cause
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. prune — to trim
  10. clip — for paper
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. craft — a skill
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. swing — music
  17. clip — to cut
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. season — of the year
  21. clip — a video
  22. swing — to play on
  23. vault — a safe
  24. craft — boats

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