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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. fine — all right
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fine — high quality
  7. root — of a plant
  8. clip — for paper
  9. root — of a word
  10. face — to confront
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. face — part of the head
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. clip — a video
  16. squash — the sport
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — to crush
  20. face — to point toward
  21. clip — to cut
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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