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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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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. court — of law
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. root — of a word
  7. face — to point toward
  8. clip — for paper
  9. prune — to trim
  10. can — a tin
  11. spell — a short time
  12. root — the cause
  13. clip — a video
  14. can — a tin
  15. face — to confront
  16. bear — the animal
  17. court — for sport
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. court — of a king
  21. clip — to cut
  22. root — of a plant
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bear — the animal

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