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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. clip — a video
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bound — obliged
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. lean — thin
  9. prune — to trim
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bound — tied together
  12. clip — for paper
  13. prune — to trim
  14. craft — a skill
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. root — of a plant
  18. craft — boats
  19. bound — certain
  20. root — the cause
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. root — of a word

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