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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. root — of a plant
  6. root — of a word
  7. season — in sport
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bass — the fish
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. season — of the year
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — low music
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. root — the cause
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. clip — for paper
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. mouse — the animal

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