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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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. root — of a plant
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. spell — magic
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. press — to push
  9. mine — for digging
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. clip — for paper
  13. board — a committee
  14. press — a publisher
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. board — to get on
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. press — newspapers
  19. clip — to cut
  20. root — the cause
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. dip — to sink

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