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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. clip — to cut
  3. root — of a word
  4. swing — music
  5. capital — money
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. clip — for paper
  9. can — a tin
  10. swing — in golf
  11. can — to be able to
  12. swing — to play on
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. can — a tin
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. root — of a plant
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. capital — a city
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. clip — a video
  23. root — the cause
  24. rule — to rule out

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