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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. mug — a face
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. mug — a cup
  6. clip — a video
  7. root — the cause
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — to cut
  10. root — of a word
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. land — a country
  15. saw — the tool
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. hand — help
  18. saw — the tool
  19. hand — in cards
  20. land — ground
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. vault — a safe
  23. land — to come down
  24. mug — to rob

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