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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — size or range
  4. root — of a word
  5. club — a group
  6. clip — to cut
  7. club — for golf
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. clip — for paper
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. lean — thin
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. root — the cause
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. clip — a video
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. root — of a plant
  22. lean — to bend
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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