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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — for paper
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. root — of a plant
  7. lean — thin
  8. cap — a hat
  9. root — of a word
  10. march — the month
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. root — the cause
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. clip — a video
  15. march — the month
  16. cap — of ice
  17. march — music
  18. lean — to bend
  19. rash — a series
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. cap — a lid
  23. deal — to handle
  24. rash — hasty

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