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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. root — of a plant
  3. can — a tin
  4. band — a ring
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. root — the cause
  8. firm — steady
  9. clip — a video
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. shower — rain
  13. clip — to cut
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — a company
  17. prune — to trim
  18. shower — to wash
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. prune — to trim
  22. clip — for paper
  23. root — of a word
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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