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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. row — to paddle
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. race — a contest
  6. spell — a short time
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. race — the arms race
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. spell — magic
  11. root — of a word
  12. can — a tin
  13. clip — for paper
  14. race — humankind
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. band — a music group
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — a video
  19. band — a ring
  20. can — to be able to
  21. row — a line
  22. spell — letters
  23. can — a tin
  24. root — the cause

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