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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. cap — a hat
  3. present — a gift
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. clip — for paper
  8. present — the time now
  9. cue — a hint
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. root — of a plant
  14. cap — a lid
  15. club — for golf
  16. cue — for pool
  17. present — there
  18. root — the cause
  19. cue — a signal
  20. clip — a video
  21. cap — of ice
  22. root — of a word
  23. club — for dancing
  24. clip — to cut

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