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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. clip — a video
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. current — electric
  8. current — of water
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. field — for sport
  12. current — happening now
  13. root — the cause
  14. row — to paddle
  15. root — of a plant
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. vault — a safe
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. row — a line

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