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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. present — there
  3. pop — soda
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — of a word
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. root — the cause
  9. rest — a break
  10. pop — music
  11. present — the time now
  12. lean — to bend
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rest — what's left
  18. lean — thin
  19. present — a gift
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pop — to visit
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  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