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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. track — a song
  3. clip — for paper
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. firm — decided
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a word
  10. firm — a company
  11. row — to paddle
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. row — a line
  16. clip — a video
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. clip — to cut
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. track — a path
  22. stand — to bear
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. root — of a plant

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