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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. root — the cause
  3. clip — to cut
  4. tear — from crying
  5. content — the amount
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. capital — a city
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. root — of a word
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. tear — to rip
  12. capital — money
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. content — happy
  16. pound — a weight
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. root — of a plant
  20. tear — from crying
  21. hand — help
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. hand — in cards

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