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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. root — of a word
  4. present — a gift
  5. fork — in a road
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. root — of a plant
  8. spring — of water
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. present — there
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. present — the time now
  13. spring — a coil
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. hand — help
  16. spring — the season
  17. clip — for paper
  18. can — to be able to
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. can — a tin
  21. clip — a video
  22. hand — in cards
  23. root — the cause
  24. can — a tin

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