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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. clip — for paper
  7. root — of a plant
  8. pop — soda
  9. file — a tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. band — a ring
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. file — a document
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. root — the cause
  18. clip — a video
  19. pass — a permit
  20. band — a music group
  21. pop — music
  22. root — of a word
  23. pop — to visit
  24. clip — to cut

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