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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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. root — of a word
  3. clip — to cut
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. clip — for paper
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. clip — a video
  8. prune — to trim
  9. court — of a king
  10. lie — to recline
  11. land — a country
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. kid — child
  14. court — of law
  15. court — for sport
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. craft — a skill
  18. prune — to trim
  19. kid — to tease
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a plant
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. craft — boats
  24. land — ground

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