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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 116 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. root — of a plant
  4. craft — a skill
  5. cap — a hat
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. root — of a word
  8. clip — to cut
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stand — to bear
  11. clip — a video
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cap — a lid
  15. rest — a break
  16. root — the cause
  17. last — finally
  18. last — final
  19. craft — boats
  20. rest — what's left
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. cap — of ice
  24. last — to go on

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