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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — to cut
  3. wake — a trail
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. can — a tin
  7. pop — to visit
  8. swing — music
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. swing — to play on
  11. snap — to click
  12. pop — music
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. root — the cause
  16. can — a tin
  17. pop — soda
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. swing — in golf
  20. root — of a word
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. root — of a plant
  24. clip — a video

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