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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. root — the cause
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. net — in sport
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bark — to shout
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. plane — a tool
  14. file — a tool
  15. net — after costs
  16. root — of a word
  17. clip — to cut
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — a video
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. file — a document
  23. snap — to click
  24. nail — for a hammer

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