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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. clip — to cut
  3. firm — a company
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. firm — decided
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. clip — for paper
  12. firm — steady
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. root — of a word
  15. spell — a short time
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — letters
  20. clip — a video
  21. cap — a lid
  22. root — the cause
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. root — of a plant

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