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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 120 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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. bound — certain
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. rest — what's left
  6. clip — a video
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rest — what's left
  9. root — the cause
  10. mine — for digging
  11. band — a music group
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. rest — a break
  15. bound — obliged
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. clip — for paper
  18. root — of a word
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. net — in sport
  22. root — of a plant
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. band — a ring

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