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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 120 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. root — the cause
  3. clip — to cut
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. lean — to bend
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — of a word
  8. bound — tied together
  9. stock — goods
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. stock — shares
  12. track — a path
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bound — obliged
  15. clip — a video
  16. track — a song
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bound — certain
  20. track — to keep track
  21. lean — thin
  22. clip — for paper
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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