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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bank — for money
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. snap — to click
  5. bank — for money
  6. degree — an amount
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. root — of a plant
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. clip — to cut
  13. degree — temperature
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. clip — for paper
  16. degree — from a university
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. clip — a video
  19. bank — of a river
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. root — the cause
  24. leaves — lets stay

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