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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. clip — for paper
  3. can — a tin
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. can — a tin
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. clip — a video
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bound — certain
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — the cause
  14. wind — moving air
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bound — tied together
  18. clip — to cut
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bound — obliged
  21. root — of a plant
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wind — moving air

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