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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. band — a music group
  3. rash — hasty
  4. fork — in a road
  5. clip — to cut
  6. rash — a series
  7. band — a ring
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. press — to push
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. press — a publisher
  12. clip — for paper
  13. root — of a word
  14. clip — a video
  15. root — the cause
  16. foot — a measure
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. root — of a plant
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. press — newspapers
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. can — a tin
  24. foot — part of the body

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