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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. clip — for paper
  3. root — the cause
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. root — of a word
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. tear — from crying
  11. root — of a plant
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. clip — a video
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. toast — bread
  17. wax — to grow
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. clip — to cut
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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