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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 120 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bank — of a river
  3. root — of a plant
  4. deal — to handle
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — a position
  9. clip — for paper
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bank — for money
  12. root — the cause
  13. clip — to cut
  14. present — there
  15. present — a gift
  16. root — of a word
  17. ground — crushed
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bank — for money
  20. present — the time now
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. clip — a video
  24. hide — to keep secret

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