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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 120 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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. mine — for digging
  3. root — the cause
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bulb — for light
  10. root — of a word
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bore — to drill
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. shower — rain
  20. clip — for paper
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bore — to tire

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