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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. row — a line
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. root — the cause
  5. clip — a video
  6. root — of a plant
  7. clip — for paper
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. cap — of ice
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. season — in sport
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. season — of the year
  16. cap — a lid
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cap — a hat
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. root — of a word
  21. clip — to cut
  22. row — to paddle
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  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