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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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — for paper
  6. saw — the tool
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a word
  9. band — a music group
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. net — for catching
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. lie — to recline
  16. saw — the tool
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. band — a ring
  21. net — after costs
  22. root — of a plant
  23. net — in sport
  24. lie — an untruth

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