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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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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. fine — all right
  3. stand — to bear
  4. cell — in biology
  5. root — the cause
  6. clip — to cut
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. cell — a phone
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. clip — for paper
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. root — of a plant
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. fine — high quality
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. clip — a video
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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