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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. row — a line
  3. mug — a cup
  4. root — of a plant
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. court — of law
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. row — to paddle
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — a video
  13. court — of a king
  14. root — of a word
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — a permit
  17. mug — to rob
  18. bear — the animal
  19. root — the cause
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bear — the animal
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. court — for sport
  24. mug — a face

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