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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  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. drill — army training
  2. suit — clothes
  3. bear — the animal
  4. suit — to fit
  5. file — a line of people
  6. suit — in cards
  7. clip — to cut
  8. content — the amount
  9. drill — a practice
  10. wind — moving air
  11. clip — a video
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. file — a tool
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — the cause
  18. wind — moving air
  19. content — happy
  20. drill — the tool
  21. clip — for paper
  22. file — a document
  23. content — videos and posts
  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