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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 116 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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. root — the cause
  3. clip — for paper
  4. last — finally
  5. root — of a word
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. branch — a division
  8. bat — the animal
  9. stand — to bear
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. root — of a plant
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. last — final
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. last — to go on
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. stand — for spectators

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