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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. root — of a word
  3. root — the cause
  4. club — for dancing
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. saw — the tool
  8. club — a group
  9. ball — a great time
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. drill — army training
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a dance
  17. clip — for paper
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. drill — a practice
  21. clip — a video
  22. club — for golf
  23. drill — the tool
  24. root — of a plant

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