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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  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. pass — to succeed
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — to cut
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. content — happy
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — the amount
  12. root — the cause
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — boats
  15. root — of a word
  16. firm — steady
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. firm — a company
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. clip — a video
  21. firm — decided
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. craft — a handicraft
  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