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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. spring — of water
  3. clip — a video
  4. game — a match
  5. spring — a coil
  6. press — to push
  7. mark — a grade
  8. press — newspapers
  9. root — the cause
  10. wind — moving air
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. spring — the season
  15. clip — for paper
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wind — moving air
  20. press — a publisher
  21. game — wild animals
  22. root — of a word
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. root — of a plant

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