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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. staff — employees
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. clip — for paper
  5. mark — a grade
  6. staff — a stick
  7. root — the cause
  8. mark — a trace
  9. march — the month
  10. root — of a word
  11. staff — employees
  12. row — a line
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. row — to paddle
  20. clip — a video
  21. board — to get on
  22. bear — the animal
  23. board — a committee
  24. row — a quarrel

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