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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. clip — to cut
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rest — what's left
  7. clip — a video
  8. root — of a word
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. wound — an injury
  11. suit — to fit
  12. suit — in cards
  13. rest — what's left
  14. net — in sport
  15. suit — clothes
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a plant
  19. rest — a break
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. clip — for paper
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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