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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. clip — to cut
  3. lie — to recline
  4. clip — a video
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. mug — to rob
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. root — of a word
  11. content — the amount
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. root — of a plant
  15. clip — for paper
  16. content — happy
  17. root — the cause
  18. shower — rain
  19. mug — a cup
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. mug — a face
  24. wake — a trail

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