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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. root — the cause
  3. march — music
  4. saw — the tool
  5. root — of a plant
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. chest — of your body
  8. club — a group
  9. clip — to cut
  10. march — the month
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. club — for dancing
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. clip — a video
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. root — of a word
  19. chest — of your body
  20. clip — for paper
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. club — for golf
  23. march — the month
  24. chest — a box

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