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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. current — of water
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. root — of a plant
  9. wax — to grow
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. clip — a video
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. current — happening now
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. current — electric
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. root — the cause
  24. arm — part of the body

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