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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  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 word
  2. staff — employees
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. staff — employees
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. file — a line of people
  9. clip — to cut
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. deal — to handle
  13. file — a tool
  14. root — of a plant
  15. clip — for paper
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. staff — a stick
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. file — a document
  23. clip — a video
  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