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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. root — of a plant
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. fine — all right
  8. root — the cause
  9. clip — to cut
  10. root — of a word
  11. dip — to sink
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. row — a line
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bark — to shout
  16. clip — for paper
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. hand — help
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. squash — to crush
  22. fine — high quality
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bark — of a tree

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