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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. clip — a video
  3. cap — a hat
  4. face — part of the head
  5. perch — the fish
  6. clip — to cut
  7. root — of a word
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. face — to point toward
  10. cap — a lid
  11. spell — letters
  12. root — of a plant
  13. spell — a short time
  14. file — a tool
  15. root — the cause
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cap — of ice
  19. face — to confront
  20. spell — magic
  21. clip — for paper
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pound — a weight
  24. perch — for a bird

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