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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rash — hasty
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. root — the cause
  5. object — an aim
  6. capital — a city
  7. rash — a series
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. clip — a video
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. root — of a plant
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. root — of a word
  14. clip — to cut
  15. lean — to bend
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — a thing
  18. lean — thin
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. capital — money
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. calf — of the leg

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