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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. clip — a video
  4. net — in sport
  5. bound — certain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. net — after costs
  13. clip — to cut
  14. root — of a plant
  15. vault — a safe
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. net — for catching
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bound — tied together
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bound — obliged
  23. root — the cause
  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