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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. root — of a plant
  4. net — after costs
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. clip — to cut
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. root — of a word
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cell — a phone
  14. clip — for paper
  15. net — for catching
  16. prune — to trim
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. clip — a video
  19. net — in sport
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. root — the cause

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