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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — to cut
  3. staff — employees
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bulb — for light
  9. clip — a video
  10. root — the cause
  11. staff — employees
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — a break
  15. stock — shares
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. root — of a word
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. stock — goods
  20. root — of a plant
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. staff — a stick

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